Song of the New Cosmos
by Liquid-Goddess-Reformation
Summary: Far in the future the Solor system is plagued by Beasts of Shadow and beings of Darkness. A New Generation of Scouts has awakened to combat the oncoming Silence. CHAPTER 7 IS UP! Please R
1. The Moon's Requiem

I do not own sailor moon. If you want to sue me, TOO BAD!! You have no reason too and I have no money anyways. Sailor moon rightfully belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and also a whole bunch of other people, like, I think, Pioneer because they made the movies. I don't own any part of Sailor moon whatsoever (even if I wish I did). I only own the characters and plot of this story.  
  
Since you've probably stopped reading this part by now, I will tell you that this is barely anything like the original story of sailor moon and that if you hate any changing of the original sailor moon concept than this story may not be for you but I hope you can try reading it anyways. Also understand that this takes place at least a million years after the ending of Sailor Moon.  
  
Song of the New Cosmos  
  
By Liquid_Goddess_Reformation  
  
Chapter one: The Moon's Requiem  
  
"Did you hear? They are raising Mashiro to be Her Imperial Highness Neo- Queen Serenity. I thought for sure the crystal would choose Terasu!"  
  
"Yes, I know. They say Mashiro is a much better leader but Terasu does have that air about her. Everyone thought it would be her, she is the Blood of Serenity through and through."  
  
"Yah, I know what you mean. I never thought the crystal would choose Mashiro."  
  
Yes, Seraph thought as she listened to the gossip of the people in the restaurant, No one saw this one coming, not even the great seers. A week ago Her Imperial Highness Neo-Queen Serenity Ubazakura, Keeper of the Imperium-Silver Crystal, Ruler of the Moon Kingdom, and overseer of the Solar System passed away. It wasn't unexpected or anything but it was still a shock. She had ruled for almost 400 years and it was always hard let go of something you had known for so long. When a Queen would die, the Imperium-Silver Crystal itself chose the girl that would succeed the former queen from those of the blood from the Original Neo-Queen Serenity Usagi herself. It was how the kingdom had been able to live so long without having one oppressive ruler. It was a surprise for everyone when the crystal chose Mashiro over Terasu who was said to be so much like the original Serenity. Mashiro was probably, though not the last person, an unlikely one for the thrown.  
  
Seraph paid the bill for her meal and left the restaurant. She new something must be happening for the Silver Crystal to choose Mashiro. Either she had hidden talents no one new about, Terasu had some unknown quality that made her unworthy of the Thrown or the future had other plans for them. The last selection was most likely Seraph. There was some unrest in the Universe, she didn't know entirely what, but she sensed the unease of all the spirits. She walked back to the Palace in deep thought.  
  
---  
  
"Seraph!" Mashiro called to her as she walked into the palace meeting room in the capital, Crystal Tokyo. "I wish to name you of my advisors as chief councilor! Will you do it? If you don't want the position, I understand, it's just." she trailed off.  
  
"You wish me to be your chief councilor? But I would have thought that it would be Chiharu." Seraph answered.  
  
"Yes, she is my friend but you know so many things. And I can always count on you, and you don't treat me as a child. You also don't tell me what I should do or hide things from me and do things for me." She said. "Will you please be my councilor?"  
  
"Of course I will your Imperial majesty."  
  
"Oh! Thank you Seraph!" she ran up and hugged the girl. Seraph was seventeen and very tall with long black hair and deep blue eyes. Her parents had died when she was very young and since they'd had no relatives or close friends to take care of her she had been committed to the palace as a student of the thrown. The students of the thrown were taught things to help those who ruled the Solar system and were often assigned to be advisors of the royalty. Seraph had been an exceptional student and had been assigned to Mashiro, a person as close in the running to be queen as possible without actually being in the running. Those that were likely to be chosen were often given more experienced advisors. As chief advisor to the thrown, she would have to most influence on the Kingdom besides Mashiro herself. Mishiro was pale faced and pale haired with gold-hazel eyes and a nice smile. She was fifteen and rather short, only coming to Seraph's chest but that wasn't saying much considering how tall Seraph was.  
  
"Do the elders approve of your choice of Chief Councilor?" Seraph asked her.  
  
"Oh yes, they said they wondered why you hadn't been assigned to a more prominent person than me. They said you were the best in politics, magic, science, technology, culture, history, and fighting! I didn't even know you knew all those things." She answered.  
  
"I don't like to brag." Seraph joked.  
  
"See, and your easy going." Mashiro said.  
  
"I guess I am all those things. When is the crowning ceremony going to be held?"  
  
"Tomorrow morning at dawn." She answered.  
  
"I will be sure to be there." Seraph said.  
  
"Thank you so much!"  
  
"It is nothing."  
  
---  
  
Seraph woke up the next morning to hear a loud crash and the guards rushing about outside her door. I knew that there was a reason for the dream I just had.  
  
She had found her self in the capitol but it was dark and dead, its valleys and craters covered in grey dust. All the planets lay cold and dark except the earth. She almost cried at the loneliness and nothingness around her. The world seemed to be smaller and it seemed to shrink and become even smaller as she looked before her eyes.  
  
What is this, the future to come? Is this the unrest I has long sensed around me? She thought.  
  
She heard a voice answer her. No, and yes  
  
When is this? She said in her mind because she was suspended in some other plane of existence and found she could not use her mouth, even to breath, though it didn't seem she needed to. Her body and all physical feeling were gone except sight.  
  
It is the past. It said. The system was once ravaged by outside forces and confined to the earth. Most all life in the solar system was wiped out.  
  
But how had it returned to the way it is now?  
  
The light came and sang a song that drove away the darkness and the crystal shined its light once again upon the faces of the planets.  
  
Why am I seeing this?  
  
Next time there will be naught left but shadow to remain on the earth and an eternal dusk will cover the worlds in a cold darkness that will last for many ages.  
  
What can I do?  
  
Awaken the light.  
  
Immediately she was thrust into a memory of her mother telling her a story long ago.  
  
"Once there was a great kingdom that was swallowed by darkness!" a women told a little girl on her lap.  
  
"Darkness mommy?! Wasn't everyone scared?" a little girl asked.  
  
"oh yes! Everyone was dreadfully scared. The planets were all darkened and no one lived on them because they were cold and dead." She said as the little girl gasped. "Then, out of the darkness the nine hopes in sailor suits shining out the light came and played the song of the cosmos and the darkness turned to light!"  
  
"Wow! Where did they come from?"  
  
"The planets chose them. And the guardians sought after them and came to see their hidden lights among the darkness. They awakened them to fight the darkness with the harmony of ages!"  
  
"What were their names?"  
  
"They were named after the planets of course! And together they called for the light of the dead worlds and they were reborn into a new era!"  
  
"Yay!' the little girl cried and clapped her hands.  
  
"And," the women said. "If ever the system is threatened again, the guardian will be called forth in a new form to find the hopes and awaken then to the light."  
  
"What are the guardian's names? What did they look like?" the little girl inquired.  
  
"Oh, there names and forms change every time they are called on to seek out the nine but they were called by the first queen of the system, Artemis and Luna, they had the forms of cats and were the queens chief advisors."  
  
No, she thought, not a coincidence. She ran to the door of her room in the palace and called to the guards. "Hello! What is going on out there!" she yelled.  
  
"The palace has been attacked!" a guard yelled through the thick oak door.  
  
"I can tell that by listening to the racket out side my door, tell me some real information!" she called back.  
  
"Shadow beasts, my Lady Councilor!" she heard a voice say. After a moment she recognized it as Emmett's, who was a Captain in the guard; he was a friend of hers.  
  
"They attacked the castle at full dark. We've been trying to combat them since but guns are useless. Only spelled swords or magic will wound them. We've taken heavy casualties in the artillery squads and the magic casters in all the divisions are starting to get tired. We've sent out to Earth and we've informed Venus and Mars that they should be on guard. They aren't too hard to destroy but there are so many of them that we can barely defend ourselves. Once some extra forces come from earth we will fine though."  
  
"Let me out! I can help! I know magic and I have a spelled sword!"  
  
"Sorry, My Lady Councilor, I was sent express orders from Her Imperial Highness to protect you."  
  
"Oh so that is why you are here at my door."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Seen any action out there?" she asked him.  
  
"Not so much, they are mostly on the south side of the palace. We haven't really had anything on the north side, luckily." He said. As they had been talking, Seraph had been changing into her fighter suit. A tight, black body suit that had multiple belts for her weapons and a security badge that gave her palace clearance. She would be ready for a battle if one came. She loosened her sword in the sheath, made sure the safety was off her gun and that her knife was keen. "Seraph! Be ready! The Colonel on the wall reports multiple shadow creatures headed our way! Be-," but whatever else he was going to say was drowned out by the shouts of the guard and the sound of swords ripping against something that sounded more like cloth than flesh.  
  
The next minute the door was being beaten down by a tremendous force and it fell into the room almost on top of her. She could vaguely hear Emmett reporting the breach in security at her room. She jumped out of the way of a leaping shadow beast and unsheathed her sword and began to combat the creatures.  
  
She tried her gun a few times but the bullets went right through the beasts, doing no damage what-so-ever. She found herself fighting back-to- back with Emmett, tall, brown haired and green eyed. He would slash out with his spelled sword at a shadow beast and Seraph would block the swipe of another shadow beast trying to attack him. Soon, others of the guard joined them but there were simply too many shadow beasts. All they could do was to protect each other.  
  
"Seraph!" Emmett called to her, "Be ready to duck! A garrison is coming with a machine gun full of spelled bullets!"  
  
"Spelled.Bullets?!" she said in between slashes at shadow beasts. "Who ever hear of having spelled bullets? Why haven't we used them sooner?"  
  
"Your first question answers your second. Who ever heard indeed?" he said.  
  
"I suppose." She replied and then they heard a loud siren and a voice on an amplifier said "All survivors duck below 80 centimeters off the ground immediately or you will be shot!" Seraph threw herself on the ground and hoped a shadow beast wouldn't cut her to bits. She saw Emmett and the rest of the guard that were in the room fumble to the ground as well while bullets were flying over their heads. Every time the machine gun swiveled around to shoot in another direction a few shadow beasts would attack Seraph and she would have to roll on the ground or kick them with her feet or slash at them with her dagger, her sword being too long and heavy to be anything but a nuisance while she was lying on the floor. Then the machine gun would swivel around and pellet them with spelled bullets. Soon the bullets stopped and more members of the guard from the garrison that had come with the machine gun stepped in with more spelled swords to take out the few surviving shadow beasts. Then the voice on the amplifier came on again and said "All survivors may now rise." She let a Corporal help her off the ground.  
  
"My Lady Councilor? We are going to move you and the rest of the guards here to the medical floor on the east side of the palace. Would you please come with us." He said.  
  
"Is Her Highness alright?!" she pleaded.  
  
"Yes, as far as we know. Her rooms haven't been attacked yet. Now, Lady, you must come with us to the Medical floor."  
  
"Okay." She said, still a little worried about Mashiro.  
  
---  
  
"Exiting enough for you?"  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Seraph said. She looked up at Emmitt. He was about twenty one, with a nice smile and rather well muscled. For some reason she liked to tease him every once in awhile when they were alone and didn't have to be formal. He liked to tease her too.  
  
"Nothing, it's just I always here palace girls talking about how nothing ever happens." He said with smile.  
  
"And how would you know about what the palace girls are talking about?" she said accusingly.  
  
"From the palace boys, of course! They certainly complain enough to me about it as well." "I never thought it was all that boring."  
  
"Oh, political ladies and their airs!" he said teasingly.  
  
"Oh, palace guards and their egos!" she said, copying his mocking voice.  
  
"Hey, Captains are the brains of the palace guards!"  
  
"Oh sure, and that's why they get orders from Colonels."  
  
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." He said pretending to look hurt.  
  
"Yes, well, go ahead." She sat back down on her hospital bed. What did her dream mean? Was she one of the guardians that were supposed to find the nine hopes, the Sailor Scouts? Did the sailor scouts even exist? It was only a story after all. Maybe-  
  
"I heard Terasu has been very depressed since the crystal named Mashiro Queen instead of her." Emmett said interfering with her thoughts.  
  
"Terasu, depressed? Why would you bring that up?"  
  
"She's over there with her advisors, looking rather miserable to me." He pointed to a girl with silvery, white-blond hair and pale, blue eyes. She was about an inch or two taller than Mashiro was and she was a year younger than Seraph. She had on a white silk kimono-like outfit with her hair in various rings on the sides of her head. She was surrounded by her seven advisors who seemed to be trying to cheer her up or something-like. She did look rather sulky.  
  
Seraph got up and walked over to Terasu, with the intention of trying to help her advisors lessen her sadness. Seraph had changed into the black and silver kimono-like dress and robes with a black and silver head-dress when she had been brought to the medical floor, now she was slightly regretting it as it brought the attention of the whole room whenever she so much as moved, she didn't want Terasu to feel as if everyone was watching her. As she came nearer, Terasu's advisors noticed her and seemed to grow nervous but Terasu didn't make any motion to say she had seen Seraph.  
  
"Good day, Lady Councilor." The seven advisors said to her with a slight nod of the head. Her new rank didn't really require a bow, like to the queen, or even a respectful nod, like to other descendents of Serenity Usagi, just a courteous good day, but they seemed to think they were in trouble or something.  
  
"Good day, fellow advisors." She said to them. "May I perhaps speak with Revered Lady Terasu?"  
  
"She may speak." Terasu answered quietly in a cheerless voice. The Seven Advisors moved a few feet away to allow them a minimal amount of privacy while still being close at hand.  
  
"It has come to my attention that you have grown sad of late." Seraph said using the utmost formality. "May I ask if I could be of any service to you?"  
  
"There is something wrong with me. The crystal didn't like me; I must be evil."  
  
"Nonsense!" Seraph said. She was slightly disturbed at what she was hearing.  
  
"Then why.why did it find me unsuitable?" she said in response, still using that emotionless voice.  
  
"Perhaps you were not unsuitable. Perhaps there were simply others who were slightly more suitable." Seraph answered.  
  
"That still leaves me as unsuitable. Maybe I am a demon." She responded. Demon? Is she sane? Insanity is said to pop up in the descendants every few generations.  
  
"Do you think you are a demon?" Seraph asked skeptically.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"I think you would know. I also think that everyone else would notice. I do not think you are a demon."  
  
"Then perhaps I am an evil spirit." Again with the evil beings; maybe she's insane after all. Seraph was growing impatient and frustrated with Terasu.  
  
"I disagree." Seraph said. Terasu didn't respond. She was staring at something outside the window with a slightly terrified look. Seraph walked over to look out the window and yelled for the guard immediately. There were hundreds of shadow beasts swarming toward the medical floor of the palace. Emmett ran over to the window to look as well and then reported it on the intercom system.  
  
"This is Captain Emmett reporting a disturbance at the Medical floor! At least five hundred Shadow beasts are advancing toward the area. They should be upon us in fifteen minutes or less, we need more protection immediately!"  
  
"Affirmative, Captain Emmett." A voice on the intercom said. "This is Sergeant Comal. Her Highness is nearly at the medical floor along with several squads of the guard, I will send a message to the remaining guards to assemble at the medical floor. Do what you can for now."  
  
"All right." Then he turned toward the members of the guard that were on the medical floor. "I want all staff and medical personnel moved as far away from that door as possible along with all the patients!" he indicated the large oak door that was the main entrance to the medical floor. "Anyone who can handle a sword, come over here with me! All spelled sword not in use should be brought here as well. Have the door open to admit her Highness and the guard!" he said. Moments after the door was cautiously opened, Mashiro came in with her remaining advisors and two squads of the Guard.  
  
"Seraph! You're okay! I was so frightened for you when they said your rooms had been attacked!"  
  
"Frightened for me?! I was frightened for you!" Seraph said with a relieved smile.  
  
"Is that Terasu over there?" Mashiro asked. "She seems rather upset. Did the shadow beasts attack her rooms too?"  
  
"I'm not sure." Seraph said. She hadn't even thought about the shadow beasts attacking her rooms. The Shadow beasts had to attack for some reason. Maybe it was because one of the hopes was in the palace. Sailor Moon! Of course! They were attacking because Sailor Moon was in the palace. Is Mashiro Sailor Moon? She turned to look at mashiro. No, it wasn't her. Seraph looked around the room at the various girls on the Medical floor, stopping at Terasu who was still looking out the window. Maybe-  
  
"Seraph! They're breaking through the door! Take Her Highness Serenity Mashiro and Revered Terasu and get away from this door!" Emmett yelled to her. In her thought she hadn't even noticed the deafening noise coming from the large door.  
  
"Right! Come on Mashiro, Terasu! We must get away from here!" and she grabbed Mashiro's arm and then Terasu's shoulder and pulled her along toward the area the others on the medical floor had fled. But before they got very far, the door gave way exactly how it had in Seraph's room. Terasu and Mashiro stared at the shadow beasts un able to move.  
  
"They have come to devour my evil soul!" Terasu screamed. Seraph had had enough of this evilness nonsense and slapped Terasu over the face.  
  
"Get a hold of yourself Terasu! You are a descendant of Serenity Usagi! Show some courage!" then she grabbed her arm again and started running away from the door, forcing Mashiro and Terasu to run as well. A shadow beast caught up with them and started slashing. Seraph tossed Mashiro and Terasu out of the way and threw a ball of magic at the beast and then another as the original turned to dust. They kept on coming and she could not keep this up for long. She was no magician and only sensed the energies of the universe. She turned to look at Terasu and Mashiro for a split and saw a crescent moon on the descendant's forehead. In her second of amazement a shadow beast knocked her to the floor.  
  
"Seraph!" multiple people cry out as she lost consciousness.  
  
---  
  
Terasu watched as the Chief Councilor was literally thrown to the ground by the shadowy creature. She could barely understand what had just happened. The Lady Councilor had turned to look at her and mouthed some strange words "The first hope, Sailor Moon." But what did it mean? Maybe she wasn't a demon after all. Or maybe she was. She could hear members of the guard combating the shadow beasts just feet away from her position but they seemed so far away. Who was this Sailor Moon? Then she remembered a story from her child hood. I am not a demon. I protect the Moon. And I must protect Mashiro now! She turned to the terrified girl just a year younger than her and told her, "It will be alright." Mashiro's hazel eyes were flowing with tears. Terasu stood up and said words of power that came to her mind and she over flowed with the power of the Moon.  
  
---  
  
Who are you? Terasu asked the person standing in front of her. She looked remarkably like Terasu did same hair, same eyes, same height. She was wearing a white sailor suit with silver front and back bows and an opalescent skirt with a crescent moon ornament at the waste and another crescent moon brooch on the front bow. She had another crescent moon on her forehead. In her right hand was a glass flute and in the other was a glass scepter with various silver designs and another crescent moon inside a crystal that was atop the scepltor.  
  
I am the first hope, Sailor Moon. But I am also you. The Guardian has seen your light and you have been accepted by the Moon. Now you must go and fight the darkness and set the system back into harmony. Sailor Moon said to Terasu.  
  
What do I have to do?  
  
You have already taken the first step and said the words of power. Now you must use the Moon Scepter and the Glass Flute to defeat the evil of the shadows and repair the damage of their destruction. But you can not win without the other hopes. First you must secure the Queen's safety. Then you will go with the guardian to search for the remaining hopes. The power rushing through her dimmed and she was standing next to Mashiro with Seraph still on the floor unconscious. She was now wearing the sailor suit of Sailor Moon and the Moon Scepter and the Glass Flute. The Guard were struggling to keep the shadow beasts away from them.  
  
First order of business, get rid of these shadowy creatures! She thought. She let go of the Glass Flute and it immediately disappeared. Raising the scepter she gave a battle cry "For the Moon Kingdom and her Imperial Highness Neo-Queen Serenity Mashiro!" then she banished the shadow creatures with an explosive amount of magic from her scepter.  
---  
  
---  
  
That is the end of the first chappy. I told you it was going to be different. No one is really responding to my other story but it has only been up for not even a week so I guess I'm not too disappointed. Any ways, what is with the flute? And what are these shadow beasts doing here? And why is Sailor Moons outfit different? And what is with the references to music!? Find out in the next chapter! Or maybe later depending on which question you're asking. If any one is actually reading this please review, even flames are welcome. I am so pathetic. 


	2. Mercury's Awakening Melody

Yay! Sailorserenity2! My first reviewer! Your special, you get to be here at the top of the page. I'm so glad you like my fics. ^-^ *is happy* well, anyways, I don't own Sailor Moon, I wish I did. Don't sue me, as I have no money. And also, if you're reading this, please review afterwards if you don't mind, even flames, though compliments are nice.  
  
All the Sailor Scouts are going to be very similar to, though not exactly like, their original Sailor Moon counter parts. I will try not to chop them up to much. Basically they are going to be very similar though, no complete attitude turn-around's or personality transplants. They will be very much as they always were but with a few minor adjustments because of their altered family situations and experiences. Also note that they are not the original scouts reborn or anything. The scouts are chosen from birth by the power of the planets ((corny saying).  
  
Song of the New Cosmos  
  
By: Liquid_Goddess_Reformation  
  
Chapter two: Mercury's Awakening Melody  
  
"So you do it like this?" Daemian asked her.  
  
"No, see, you've got the basic idea but you're still making minor mistakes. You have to follow all the steps. See lets try it again.," Selece told him, and they went over the math problem one more time. Selece Aisu Seikano, known as Se-le to Daemian, was a student at Mercury's top school of the sciences and eighteen years old. At the moment though, she was tutoring Daemian, fifteen year old son of Princess Mercury.  
  
It was rather stressing since he barely paid attention and never did all the proper steps of followed the formula's in his math problems or asked off topic questions on science. Today it was especially stressful since she was at the Mercury estate attached to the governing office of the planet. Even more stressful was the fact that they had news of the attack on the Moon's capital which happened a few days ago. The staff was running around in a subdued sort of panicking mob. Everyone wanted to know if anyone got hurt, who attacked them, if Her Imperial Highness was going to cancel the traditional Crowning Progress, and if Mercury was still going to be the first destination.  
  
Her Most Honored Majesty Princess Mercury had her office right next to the room Selece and Deamian were using as a study room and every so often someone would run into the room with news or announce something on the intercom or send a call or collective e-mail that popped-up on the computer screens in every room. One even had annoying sounds added. That was the one that announced that, if the Progress was decided to continue despite the attack, than Mercury would indeed be the first stop.  
  
As they were in the middle of continueing the Math problem, Deamian's mom came in to check on them.  
  
"How are you guy's doing?" she said. She was rather tall and had long dark blue hair and crystalline light eyes.  
  
"okay mom." Daemian said.  
  
"Very well, your Majesty." Selene answered more formally.  
  
"You really don't have to be so formal."  
  
"Sorry, I just keep forgetting."  
  
"Contesta!" a staff member, came running to the Princess. "Contesta, Her Imperial Highness is requesting to speak to you via video messaging, would you like us to send the message here or in your office?" he said looking at Deamian and Selece. She considered for a moment then said with a smile, "here is fine." The staff member ran out of the room and a minute later a video message appeared on the glass, video screen, showing a woman clad in black standing behind her Imperial Highness Neo-Queen Serenity Mashiro.  
  
"Good Day, your Majesty Princess Mercury Contesta." The Queen said.  
  
"Good day to you, your Imperial Highness." The Princess answered.  
  
"I had considered postponing or even canceling the Traditional Grand- progress to limit the danger it would place on the people. But my Chief advisor has warned me of the distress it would also cause to the people who would believe the situation to be more urgent then it is or possibly over react. So I have decided to continue the progress with heightened Military Security. We will, of course, not visit any places that would not like the added security or added danger. So I will now ask permission to visit your Planet on the Grand Progress, Princess Mercury." At that she gave a slight bow.  
  
"Of course, we would be delighted to have you, your Imperial Highness. I do agree, to abstain from the progress would lessen the peoples belief of the stability of the crown. And the people of Mercury are always honored to have the Queen here with us. We appreciate your concern for our safety but it is not necessary. Please come, your Highness." The Princess said. The Queen gave a great sigh, as if of relief.  
  
"Thank you very much for your understanding your Majesty. Until the day of the progress," and she waved goodbye after a bow.  
  
"Until then, you highness." The video message cut out and the princess also gave a sigh. "I was almost worried that she wouldn't come." She said to no one in particular. "The people would panic." Selece didn't know what to say, so she said nothing.  
  
---  
  
Terasu stepped of the transport vehicle and onto the ground. He hadn't really been to Mercury since she was very small. The sky was a purplish- blue due to the magical and mechanical protections that blanketed the planet. It kept out radiation, heat, and light, so that the planet was more livable, the atmosphere was made up of various gases but it had more water than anything else, making it very humid, but fortunately it was always cool enough that it didn't bother you that much.  
  
Seraph had insisted she come on the progress and had even bullied her into accepting an invitation to be one of the Moon's Representatives on the progress; she thought Seraph had dropped something to Mashiro to make that happen too. Terasu almost grumbled about. Seraph knew what was needed, or at least what she thought was needed, and she made it happen, even if she had to run you over with a Cavalry of the Guard to make you cooperate. Terasu thought a moment on that. Seraph could probably negotiate enough to actually do that, she decided.  
  
All the planets had three representatives in the progress and the representatives were chosen as they came to the planets. Old Zenken, the Chronicler, was one of the other Moon representatives. He was not quite there, really. He always had a vague look, as if he didn't see what was going on. His great-grandson Geoffrey, who was very nice and good-looking too, had come with him though and so he was his great-grandfather's main spokesperson. Everyone thought he would take over Zenken in a few years anyways.  
  
The other was a craftswoman, the top silversmith in the capital, Tenria Salmekai. She did lots of artistic silverware and other silver sculptures. Terasu didn't know how the representatives were chosen but she didn't know them at all so she stayed away from them.  
  
She saw Seraph walking towards the Princess of Mercury, Contesta Traynia, a few steps behind Mashiro so she walked towards them. Though she didn't really like Seraph, she didn't dislike her, and at least she knew her. As she came towards them, she noticed a boy and a girl that stood a little behind the Princess. The boy was about her age and was probably Daemian, The Princess's son. She didn't know about the girl though.  
  
The girl was a bout five feet, eight inches with shoulder length, straight, blue hair. She had light indigo eyes and was about eighteen. She seemed very uncomfortable compared to Daemian, who seemed to be rather bored.  
  
The Princess, who had been talking to Mashiro and Seraph, noticed Terasu looking at them. "Oh yes, this is my son Daemian and his tutor, Selece. Selece is a student at our school of science." Everyone inquired about her schooling politely and asked Daemian how he was doing and then they went inside the Estate, the girl trailing behind. Terasu stayed back to talk to her.  
  
"Hello." The girl, who had been walking with her head down, jumped in surprise. Then she realized Terasu must be a descendant of Serenity Usagi, with her white and gold dress, and did a kind of flustered half curtsy-half bow. "Please don't bow, I don't really like formal things. I am Terasu." The girl recognized her name and almost bowed again.  
  
"Selece." She whispered.  
  
"Hello Selece." They stood for a moment in silence then Selece seemed to gather her courage and spoke again.  
  
"Uh, where are your advisors? I thought all the descendants had seven advisors."  
  
"I am serving as representative for the moon, they have paid leave until I return."  
  
"Oh." Terasu was a little disappointed, she had hoped the girl might talk informally with her. She did enjoy informal conversation, but she looked to scared.  
  
"Goodbye then, Selece."  
  
"goodbye." The girl practically ran away and Terasu walked into the estate.  
  
---  
  
Seraph had seen Terasu's conversation with Selece but in a slightly different light. She had been in the foyer of the Mercury estate and had seen them through a window. When Terasu had noticed the girl when they had been talking with the Princess, she had blazed a bright white-silver in Seraph's vision. Seraph had found that Terasu had gained a white-silver aura after first transforming into Sailor Moon, and the crescent moon could always be seen on her forehead and the air around her swirled into symbol- like shapes. Of course no one else could see this, only her. When Terasu and Selece were talking, the Mercury native had flashed an indigo-blue aura but then it subsided. There was, however, the faintest aura around her now.  
  
I knew bringing Terasu was a good idea, she thought. Most of the people who had been in the palace now knew that Terasu was Sailor Moon but it was one of those things that everyone knew but no one really talked about. It was accepted.  
  
As they were being shown around the estate, a shout was heard in the distance, then another. The princess walked to the window to see what was going on and shouted herself. The shadow beasts, it seemed, had followed them to Mercury. The Mercury military scouts escorted them to a safe room where they were to be locked in until it was safe; but not before Seraph slipped away.  
  
---  
  
Terasu had just found her room and was about to change into some normal clothes when she heard the shouts of Military officers. She ran to the window to see the swarms of Shadow creatures. Terasu sighed, not these guys again. She said the words of transformation and found her self in her sailor suit outfit, white bodysuit, skirt and ties, with silver and gold accents with silver front and back bows and an iridescent whitish sparkling layer over the skirt. Her back bow also had long, thick iridescent fabric falling almost to the floor (like super sailor moon's ribbony, back bow stuff but whitish.) She wore white sandal-like high heels with straps almost to her knees. In her hands were the Glass Flute and the Moon Scepter.  
  
Once again she dropped the flute and it disappeared. She jumped out the window onto the grass of the estate's lawn and she ran to a shadow beast infected area and began shooting beams of searing light causing a massive death-toll among the shadow creatures. She was in deep concentration as she aimed her beams carefully as not to hurt the soldiers fighting among the beasts. In her deep concentration she almost didn't hear the foot steps behind her and even so she barely ducked in time as cold steel swept where her head used to be. She smacked a shadow beast to get far enough away from her attacker to turn around without getting cut apart. What she saw was very strange.  
  
A being that looked like a human but with a black, scaly hide and bone white hair. He, for it was in the shape of a male, had black breaches and a tunic made out of some prismatic scaly leather, his black gloves were fingerless, showing retractable, white claws and his eyes were black orbs. He took a step toward her with steel-toed boots in the same scaly leather as the gloves.  
  
Who are you to have such power? He said. She heard him as speech in her mind, not sounds or ideas or pictures. Her understanding was more determined by what didn't come into her head than what did. His voice was an absence of all sound and light.  
  
"I am Sailor Moon, why do you ravage our system? Why do you torment our Queen?" she answered.  
  
The lights return once again to stop our efforts. I did not foresee this.  
  
"Will you not answer? Please, do not hurt us any longer. Our new Queen is good. She would not begrudge you if you wished to live with us. You need not fight!"  
  
Oh, but we do.  
  
"We?"  
  
Yes, we. We do not wish for your land, we wish for your destruction. Be warned, either you can surrender yourselves to the silence or you will be forced into it by death. He swung his sword at her but she dodged just in time as the swords momentum created a crack in the ground where she had been just a second before.  
  
A second dark being manifested itself in the air above them. This time it was a female. She had the same skin and hair and claws but she wore a long black dress with silver sheer fabric with strange designs overlaying the black silk.  
  
Come, we go. You need no longer play with the little light. She said, referring to Sailor Moon as a "little light". Then they vanished. The shadow beasts stopped appearing leaving only those that had managed to survive since they had come. Sailor Moon shivered.  
  
---  
  
"And they just left?"  
  
"Yes, they just.vanished." Terasu was trying to explain to Seraph what had happened during the attack and the strange beings that had come with them.  
  
"Hm." And Seraph just stood completely immobile with her eyes closed for a few moments then she said. "Now that they know of you, they will most likely send more creatures next time. You will need more help. We should find the other scouts as soon as possible-," Seraph went on talking and Terasu listened with half an ear. As a descendant she had go to all royal functions and meetings, even when doing so was very boring. She had learned to listen and remember what was said while putting her main attention on other thoughts. Mostly she was thinking of the Silent Man. He was so strange, when she had told him that he didn't have to fight, he'd had such a strange look on his face but it had vanished again so quickly that she wasn't sure if she had seen it. She continued to both listen and ponder but then she spotted Selece walking across a hall.  
  
"-and I think that the scout of mercury is actually very close at hand. I believe she-,"  
  
"There is Selece! I must ask her if she is alright! Please, we will continue our conversation later," Terasu bowed, and then ran down a corridor to catch up with Selece, leaving a slightly seething Seraph in her wake. "Selece! I am glad that you do not seem hurt after the attack! Where did you go?"  
  
"Oh, I.I was an unused room with Daemian." She said. "Then the military came and helped us." She said quietly. Selece didn't say how she had been caught unawares with Daemian while studying and that they had to protect themselves with the little magic and martial arts they happened to know until a squad came to help them. They gave Daemian and her swords, though she could barely use one properly with her limited skills, and she just tried to help Daemian, who was very good really, as best she could while feeling she should be able to do more to help. "Sailor Moon and the Military did most of the work; they saved us. I got to see her fight a little bit. She is so good with magic. I wish I could help like she does." Selece was rather confused as she saw the expressions on Terasu's change from inquiring to embarrassed to uncomfortable. Selece thought she might be ill. "Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor? I might be able to help I know some anatomy and things, biology too." Terasu didn't know what Selene was talking about.  
  
"What does 'okay' mean?"  
  
"Okay? You don't know what that means?"  
  
"No one in the palace uses that word."  
  
"Um, okay, let's see. it means, like, um-"  
  
"It means like?"  
  
"No, it sort of means 'alright'. Yes, it means 'alright'. As in: are you okay. It would be: are you alright."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"It can also be: I get it. Or: I see. Like when you said 'Oh' just a moment ago. You could say 'okay' or 'Oh, okay'. Does that make sense?"  
  
"Yes. It makes sense. Okay means: I see, I get it or alright."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"'Okay'" they looked at each other and laughed. Selece didn't seem so afraid of her any more for some reason. They talked some more until Selece said she had to go back to her dormitory, at school.  
  
---  
  
After Terasu had run off to talk with Selece, Seraph followed them. After Terasu started talking to Selece, Selece's aura did a slight brightening and then dimmed again. Then, as they continued to talk, her aura grew and grew. She was continuing to watch them as they were standing in the hall or out on the lawn or in an unused room when she felt a tap on her shoulder and nearly gave away her position. She turned to tell off the person who had startled her and saw Emmett.  
  
"What are you doing here?!" she hastily whispered so as not let her let terasu and Selece over-hear.  
  
"I could ask you the same question."  
  
"What?! I am working!"  
  
"Oh, sure. Stalking Terasu and a girl is 'working'"  
  
"I am not stalking."  
  
"Over course you're not stalking anyone! Stalking is only following someone without their permission, and you are definetly not doing that!" Emmett said sarcastically.  
  
"Actually, stalking is following someone with ill intent. I have no ill intent."  
  
"It's still stalking." He said. Seraph just gave him an "I really don't care for your opinions" look and continued the conversation.  
  
"But why are you here?"  
  
"Her Imperial Highness herself called for my squad to be your bodyguard." He said, looking very pleased with himself.  
  
"Bodyguards? I don't need any body guards."  
  
"Yes, well, Mashiro theorized that since the attacks look to be continuing and since you seem to be snooping around in places without many guards, then you might need some protection."  
  
"We've only had two attacks! How can you people prove that when we've only had two attacks?!"  
  
"She knows how sneaky you are."  
  
"I am not sneaky! I have never sneaked in my life! Oh, wait.that's not true, I am sneaking right now. But I don't do it on a regular basis!"  
  
"Yes, like you didn't sneak out of having to be locked in a safe house during the attack."  
  
"It wasn't sneaking, everyone knew I was gone."  
  
"Yes, after they had locked the doors."  
  
"It's not my fault they are inattentive." Emmett shook his head, still disagreeing.  
  
"What happened after you sneaked off anyways?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I found one of those weird beings and followed-,"  
  
"Stalked is more like it!"  
  
"-Followed without being seen! I followed her until she noticed me and attacked me, than after a bit of fighting, she vanished."  
  
"Than why did you seem very skeptical while talking to Terasu about the vanishing thing?"  
  
"Now who's the stalker?!"  
  
"Fine, but a fourth of my squad is your personnel guard and the rest are the guard for the representatives."  
  
"How many is that?"  
  
"Well, my squad was depleted by the attacks. I had forty originally, I lost about six members, you do the math." Seraph did a couple of simple math equations in her head to come up with a quotient.  
  
"About eight guards than."  
  
"Yes, eight will do."  
  
"I suppose I can deal with that, it's not as bad as it could be, I guess. But only if you are one of those eight! I can't deal with any of those other military fools! And not all of them at once! Four at one time is sufficient, well actually none is fine with me."  
  
"Take it up with the Queen, my lady." Emmett said mockingly.  
  
"Yes, well leave me alone to finish my 'stalking'."  
  
"I would but your victims are gone." He said sardonically. Seraph turned to look down the hall, to find it empty.  
  
"Oh, so they are."  
  
---  
  
After school the next day, Selece took the public transport to the Mercury estate and walked up to the gate, showed her clearance card, and ambled across the lawn to find Daemian playing some sport with a few other boys who's parents worked in the government. She got him to finish and let him talk her into doing the tutoring outside while the other boys played their game. It didn't work very well though as Daemian kept paying more attention to the game than the work. She did as much as she could to ground the information in his head without being forceful but in the end she gave up and just let him play.  
  
Later, as she watched the younger boys play, Terasu saw them and came to sit by her on the grass. When suddenly there were cries heard from the gate and a rift opened in the air and Shadow Beats came pouring out from the opening along with the two strange beings. Terasu didn't bother to transform someplace no one would see; half of Crystal Tokyo knew she was Sailor Moon by now anyways, right? She once again dropped the flute and took up the scepter.  
  
"You again? Why won't you leave us alone?" she called to the Silent people. This time it was the woman who spoke to her, not the man. Foolish child. She said, and held up a strange, glowing orb. This orb that I hold in my hand is not powerful enough to affect thee, but it will still aid in our conquest by putting most of your soldiers into slumber. She tossed the orb into the sky and it dissipated into the air. Most of the soldiers that had been running to her aid fell in mid-stride, possibly asleep, as the strange woman had said. The few that remained were most likely strong in magical ability. She turned to find that, for some reason, Selece was still awake despite her plead of having little magical ability and skill. She was sitting on the grass with a shocked look about her.  
  
"Selece! Run to safety! Quickly!" Sailor Moon yelled. But Selece just looked at her then at the creatures, then at the beings, and back again. She was defiantly in shock, or something.  
  
Hm. This one is still awake and yet she flees not. Perhaps we should destroy her first?  
  
Perhaps, but what of the children behind her?  
  
Yes! Kill them first! I did not know such good ideas could come from you!  
  
Indeed. Upon hearing of the beings plans to kill Daemian and the other boys behind her, Selece snapped out of her state of shock.  
  
"No! Leave him alone! He is like my little brother!" Selece cried as she leapt from the ground to plead with them.  
  
Little brother? I do not care of your relation to him, or any of the other sufferers, I only care that they are destroyed. The woman said and she gathered a great ball of energy to throw at the boys and Daemian.  
  
"No!" Selece screamed as Terasu saw the astrological sign of Mercury appear on her forehead and shine a bright indigo as words of power flowed from her lips.  
  
---  
  
What will happen now? What can I do? Selece asked a strange person standing in front of her. She was disoriented and barely knew what was going on so the first questions she asked were not the most logical.  
  
Do not worry. You have the strength and the swiftness to over come this dilemma. The strange person in front of her said. And for the first time since arriving at this place Selece looked at her answerer. She looked just like her. But she was wearing a sailor suit outfit like Sailor Moon. A shimmering indigo skirt was covered by a shear, iridescent white layer. Her bow was a light, ice blue and her color was also indigo. The outfit was accented with silver symbols of Mercury on the collar, brooch and where the skirt met the body suit. She also had an opaque, whitish ribbon of fabric flowing from her back bow. She held a Japanese lady fan, a Shukusen, in her right hand and a harp that looked made of ice and swirls of water. She looked like an Ice queen.  
  
Who are you? Selece asked.  
  
I am the second hope, Sailor Mercury, the hidden power within you. The fates have witnessed your light and acknowledge you as the Soldier of Mercury. Now you must protect your home from the shadows and save those you care for. She said.  
  
What must I do?  
  
You have already said the words of power. The rest is up to you how you use your powers. The Frozen Harp and the Shukusen are yours to command. Go now and rid our world of these spirits of emptiness.  
  
Yes! Selece opened her eyes only a moment later to find no time had passed. In her hands were the Shukusen and the Frozen Harp. She held on to the Harp; she would need it later and took the fan in hand. She waved it in a wide arch and a powerful razor of freezing water and wind rushed toward the Lady.  
  
"Selece!" Sailor Moon called.  
  
"It's Sailor Mercury right now! Listen! I can wake everyone up but I will need a moment to play the song! Will you cover me?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
"Okay!" Sailor Moon giggled a little and turned to the shadow beasts and the dark beings.  
  
She could scarcely believe it. Selece, the Sailor scout of Mercury! It sort or fit, though. Sailor Moon blasted all the Shadow creatures around them as Sailor Mercury blasted a few to give her room before dropping the fan, which disappeared, and took up the Harp that looked made of ice and cascades of water. Sailor Moon saw creatures coming at them at the corner of her eye and swirled around to blast them. Then the Dark beings came at her together. The woman shot a ball of energy at her, which she deflected with her scepter before dodging a sword thrust from the man. Unfortunately, the woman had another ball of energy ready for her and when she dodged a second sweep of the man's sword she was hit her square in the back.  
  
"Ahh!" she screamed in agony and she fell on the ground, half unconscious until she heard a song, music, beckoning to her. Saying, "Awaken! The time of sleep is done!" A soft melody that at another time would make her sleep, did the opposite and she started waking up. It grew louder, infiltrating into her brain, ringing through her ears. She looked up and Sailor Mercury was playing her Frozen Harp with unsurpassed grace. She remembered the Beings and wondered why she hadn't been diced to bits. She looked up to find them Sheilding themselves from blasts of magic power, sword thrusts and bullets shot at them from the now awakened sentries. The Man looked into her eyes and gave her a look that said "I shall return." And then he vanished along with the woman who had been floating in the air and projecting a magic shield.  
  
She now looked over to Sailor Mercury and saw her Sigh with relief. She dropped her Harp and it disappeared along with her sailor suit and she reverted back to her original clothes. Sailor Moon looked over at her scepter lying a few feet from her position on the ground and "mentally" dropped it. It disappeared as well and she too reverted to her former clothes. She got up and walked over to where Selece was slumped on the ground.  
  
"You were great! You woke all of them up, by yourself!"  
  
"Don't forget though, you lasted out quite awhile against those to bad guys while I was doing it! We were great!" Terasu sat next to Selece and they rested while the soldiers searched for straggling Shadow creatures. They were just relaxing when a voice startled them.  
  
"There was another battle? And I missed it! Hoy!" They swung there heads around to see a girl even taller than Selece in a Black and grey, plaid skirt, and Long sleeved Black sweater. She had long black hair with a Plaid head matching the skirt and deep blue eyes. She had on high black boots with silver zippers and looked to be about seventeen, a year younger than Selece. She was surrounded by five of the Moon guard. Terasu thought she looked kind of familiar. Selece, thinking she must be some important person with the small group of Moon Soldiers around her, got up very quickly to bow and tripped, falling on her face.  
  
"Are you okay" Terasu asked.  
  
"Yah." Came a muffled reply. Terasu helped her up and asked the girl "who are you?" while Selece rubbed her nose and tried not to look embarrassed. The girl looked very confused and then seemed to come to a realization and she sweat dropped (if you don't know, a sweat drop kid of has the equivalent of "I can not believe this." or "Oh, god."). For some reason all the Guards burst out laughing.  
  
"Ahh." Terasu said while Selece grew red in the face. Terasu recognized one of the Guards as Emmett, Seraph's soldier, friend. The girl turned around and put her hands on her hips and yelled at Emmett.  
  
"It's not funny!"  
  
"Yes.haha.it.haha.IS!!" Emmett said between laughs. The girl looked ready to hit him and a vein started poking out of her head while Emmett's face turned red from lack of oxygen while laughing. Then Terasu's face turned red as well but in embarrassment. That was Seraph! She blurted it out upon realizing it and Guards, just now getting their breaths back, broke out in cackles again.  
  
"But I thought you were older than me?!" Selece blurted out as well and then turned even redder.  
  
"Since when do you wear real clothes?" terasu asked innocenty,  
  
"Whah?.I wear real clothes! And shut up back their already! It's annoying!" she cried in indignation.  
  
"Where did you go?"  
  
"I shall with hold that information and you shall hear it upon my decision to reveal it." Terasu's face dropped. Back to her old self with her formal talking. Her answer was as evasive as it could get. It basically meant "Shut up and keep your nose out of it." Seraph turned to Selece and said, "Hello, Sailor Mercury, Selece, I look forward to having you as a representative of your planet on our Progress." She bowed and left in a huff, like she usually did, but the effect was slightly strange with real clothes. Emmett was shaking his head the whole time, trying to hide a smile. Selece was frozen in place and looking as embarrassed as ever, trying to figure out how Seraph new about her identity. Terasu just sighed, how did seraph know anything? It was probably better not to ask.  
  
---  
  
Hello! Sorry it took so long. I have just been kinda busy lately. You all like Selece? Well, I hope so. She is slightly different than Amy/Ami/Sailor Mercury, ne? And now we know what the Instruments do! Well, kind of anyways. But questions remain. What will the other sailors be like? Who are these beings? Where was seraph? And will Emmett ever shut up? Who knows. 


	3. The Venus saga part 1: Venus Meltdown

The freakin' italics and bolds aren't working! Why not? Why won't they work!!! Why!!! Some one please help me out if you know, till then I'll have to improvise. All the stuff that would have been mind speech is now going to have (::) around it. Like this:  
  
:: I am in your mind! Haha! ::  
  
I think you get it. Well, anyways, I don't own Sailor Moon, wish I did, you can't sue me. On with the story!  
  
Song of the New Cosmos  
By: Liquid_Goddess_Reformation  
  
Chapter Three: The Venus Saga Part 1: Venus Meltdown  
  
---  
  
Seraph had been reflecting on all the Festivals that had happened since they had arrived on Venus. All the fun was affecting her stomach. She thought she might throw up or something; well that wasn't true. She liked festivals as well as the next person but Venus took it to a whole new level with festivals that covered the whole planet wide with celebrating and it got slightly annoying when you couldn't due anything without someone coming up and hugging you or something. And the festivals went on for days. It seemed that there was a major holiday every two weeks. Kids in schools organized parties during their brakes. It was probably a good thing that everyone on Venus frowned upon alcohol. Anything stronger than tea was practically banned.  
  
And the people were so friendly it was weird. She watched as a blond girl was doing a dancing routine on a stage. Upon Selece and Terasu's reaction to her wearing "Real Clothes" she decided she would wear them more often to make them stop fusing over it. Of course she would only wear them on outings and such, in places with regular people-not that she wasn't a regular person! Which she was! Whatever, she wouldn't accomplish anything like this and it wouldn't look to good for Mashiro or herself if she was caught in some weird argument with herself. That would not be good at all. And here she had another dilemma.  
  
That girl was Sailor Venus. She would bet the universe on it if she had to gamble. Selece and Terasu had wanted to go see one of the shows that Venus's top Performing arts school was putting on along with a huge festival and fair right next to the school; Mashiro had insisted on a guard. Of course they didn't really want a guard. Who would? She had five louts hanging around her 24/7 and it wasn't at all a vacation. That was why she had been dragged along somehow. The guards could guard all of them. They were even being pretty inconspicuous about, it for once. Well, as inconspicuous as five royal guards can be. They acted like they were friends of Seraph, Selece and Terasu, just along on a day off. And no one could blame them for wearing their swords what with the attacks and all...Seraph even wore a sword.  
  
The thing was, though, that she didn't know who this girl was. She didn't have contacts to the palace, that she knew of, so she didn't have anyway of finding her again. Also, The Chief Councilor to her majesty running after some girl would look pretty strange. It would defiantly draw unwanted attention, anyways. But Seraph still had a trick up her sleeve.  
  
"She is very good." Seraph said. It was true but it wasn't meant to mean anything.  
  
"She is!" Terasu said.  
  
"I wish I could do that." Selece sighed.  
  
"hmm." That was Seraph, opening a path for someone else to speak, while at the same time doing a sort of twist in Terasu's head. It wasn't a real twist. It was a sort of mind trick she'd picked up from the last attack. She had seen the energy pass through the girls and the beings as they talked, indicating a sort of mind speech. Seraph had worked on it a bit and figured out how to do it; then she dampened it a bit. She didn't want to do anything to Terasu, or even talk to her, only put a kind of whispering voice suggesting something she might not have thought of otherwise. It was less suspicious with her thinking of the idea, than if Seraph had said something. Her result should be coming along right...about-  
  
"Hey!" –Now.  
  
"What?" Selece asked. Seraph listened as if she didn't know what she was going to say.  
  
"We should go talk to her! All the people that perform go off the stage, over there!" she pointed. "Then they go out into the crowd! We could follow her after and talk to her!"  
  
"Oh, I'd be too shy."  
  
"Oh, come on! It would be cold!"  
  
"Cold? No, Terasu, it's cool. It would be 'cool'."  
  
"'Cool', got it! Let's go!" Terasu dragged Selece over to the girl that was walking off the stage. Emmett looked over at Seraph suspiciously and she shrugged. Let him think on it a bit. In the mean time, she was hungry.  
  
"Let's get some ice cream." She suggested. All the guards agreed before Emmett knew what was going on.  
  
---  
  
Terasu and Selece navigated their way through the crowd to where they saw the girl go off the stage. They found her coming out of a bathroom, with a different set of clothes on. As before she had worn a gold dress, now she wore a shorts and spaghetti-strapped top set of orange and white. Terasu walked up to her to say hi, practically dragging Selece, who was as frozen as a statue. As they came closer, it became apparent that the girl was a lot younger than it seemed at first. She was about thirteen with long, straight orangey-gold hair and hazel-gold eyes. She was only medium height but even so, she wasn't any shorter than Terasu, she was taller even. Terasu was about four-foot-nine, this girl was several inches taller, making her about five feet. Selece looked uncomfortable, maybe because she was so tall, maybe because she was so shy. Terasu stopped in front of the girl and was about to say hello when the girl burst out talking.  
  
"Hi! I saw you guys in the crowd! I love your hair! It's so awesome! It's whitish! I've never seen anyone with hair like that! And it's in rings! That's so fun! And you! Yours is blue! I told my friend Lia that I was going to die my hair blue but she was like, 'you're gonna get in trouble! They don't let you die your hair here! They'll throw you out! Na, na, na...' Did you die it? Or is it really like that? It is? Wow! That's so awesome!"  
  
Terasu could barely keep up with words and looked over at Selece, and saw that her right eye was twitching. She'd noticed that when Selece was confused at what to do, like now, her eye would start blinking a lot. She was standing stiff as ice, it looked like she'd fall over if you touched her. Terasu had gotten lots of practice talking to people since she'd become Sailor Moon, she didn't think she was an evil creature anymore, and she had purpose. She'd gained courage, and she had to help her new friend get over her paranoia, too. For some reason she started to giggle.  
  
"-and then my other friend said-What is it?" the girl asked, stopping in mid-sentence to ask Terasu. Selece just turned her cowed expression toward Terasu.  
  
"Oh, nothing," she said, "just, you don't even know who we are and-,"  
  
"I don't?! Man, I am so rude! My name is Kingusarino, Minai." She said holding out her hand. Terasu took it.  
  
"I am Terasu."  
  
"Selece Aisu Seikano." Selece to Minai's hand stiffly.  
  
"You guys aren't from around here are you?"  
  
"No," Terasu said then added, "What is 'guys'"  
  
"I'll explain it later." Selece said.  
  
"Great! I'll show you guys around!"  
  
---  
  
Seraph ate ice cream out of a cup the size of an extra-large, fountain-drink soda cup. It was vanilla with crushed Oreos (the closest think to heaven!). Her plastic spoon snapped. Damn! Luckly she often ate ice cream with plastic spoons and new enough by now to get some extra. She pulled out another spoon and began eating again, She had just swallowed a particularly large bite when Emmett asked, "Don't you get brain freeze?!"  
  
"Nope." She answered, and took another bite.  
  
"What are we looking for, anyways?" he asked, taking another bite of his peanut-butter and caramel ice cream and shivering.  
  
"Sneaky-Seraph, quite a few people at court think you're in on some conspiracy or something." said one of the guards, a woman named Vienna, dipping her spoon into double chocolate fudge ice cream. Seraph laughed.  
  
"That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" she said.  
  
"Yah," Vienna agreed, "but it gives us military folk something to talk about. We gambol on what person at court's gonna make the biggest fool of himself. I've won a lot of money off Lord Taggert." She said with a smile. Seraph remembered Lord Taggert; he was drunk at half the court meetings.  
  
"Remember when Sigart and Suzuka got smashed at the Christmas party?! That was the funniest thing in the whole damn world!" said another guard.  
  
"I actually got some money off that one! I knew Suzuka was going to do something to that fat lady that always wore that pink crochet stuff, and she tossed a carrot cake in her face! It was a shame to loose such good cake though, good thing they didn't get a hold of the cheese or poppy seed cakes!" Emmett agreed.  
  
"Yah, I remember that," Seraph said dryly.  
  
"Yah, you were there! I remember, Sigart tried to take you're ice cream away to throw at someone and you bashed his face in!" Emmett sighed, "He was in the infirmary with a black eye and a chipped tooth. Although I don't know how he got that chipped tooth." He said.  
  
"I was wearing a ring." Seraph stated.  
  
"Oh!" Emmett said in revelation. Seraph spotted Selece, Terasu, and the Venetian girl turn the corner at a booth and sped off after them with the guards stumbling behind.  
  
---  
  
"I like that one on you, Terasu." Minai said. They had stopped at a booth that sold jewelry and were now looking at them and trying them on. Terasu had just put on a bracelet with white, glass beads, smaller silver beads with intricate designs and little silver charms.  
  
"Me too, it's very beautiful." Selece agreed.  
  
"And it jingles! Now we have to find a nice one for Selece!" Minai looked through the wicker baskets of bracelets, pulling out a few likely pieces, discarding others, finishing with that basket and looking in another. Finally she came out looking very proud of herself. "Tah-Dah!" she said and held up a bracelet with a repeating pattern of large beads of a blue stone be specked with bits of silver, with a medium white bead on either side and little silver beads with swirling designs. "It's perfect! You like?"  
  
"Yes, I do! It's the best one, thanks for picking it out!" she took it from Minai unclasped it and put it on.  
  
"Hey it's a perfect fit, too!" Terasu said. "Come on Selece, lets find one for Minai!" they searched around in the baskets and finally found one they liked for her. Two large beads, one deep golden-yellow and one bright red, separated by a small gold bead with two more small gold beads on each side, then a long thin gold bead, then a medium sized red bead; then the pattern repeated.  
  
"Wow! I love it!" she said genuinely, and Terasu bought them all as a treat (she being rich). They left the shop and continued on looking at random booths until they walked passed a place selling churros. They stopped and purchased a few and then found a place to sit in a cleared part of the fair grounds with lots of grass and trees. Selece went off and then came back with a few sodas. They then sat down and started eating their food and admiring their new bracelets. There was little conversation until Selece commented on the sky, which was a strange orange-yellow.  
  
"That? Oh, well all the gasses in the atmosphere are always like that, it's even worse though, since the energy bubble-thing around the planet has to have special properties to counter the effects of the Helium in the atmosphere. It looks really cool every time we have a big solar flare. The sky turns bright green! And theirs lots of lightening outside the bubble!" she said.  
  
"Cool!" Selece said.  
  
---  
  
"Cool!" Selece said. Seraph didn't quit agree really. She and the guards had followed Selece, Terasu, and the Venetian, Minai after they had left the jewelry store and had sat in a remote corner of the clearing where they wouldn't really notice her so much. The fact that the sky was yellowish was kind of hard on the eyes and distorted colors a little. It was maddening after a while, really. She sighed and turned to picking at bits of grass as she listened to their conversation and drowned out the speech of the guards. A shadow passed over the festival area from the movements of clouds over head. Then she heard Selece say, "Is that supposed to happen?" and Minai say, "Oh my god!" Seraph looked up and sky was full of black clouds and ripples of bright green tinted lightening. A whole ripped out of the sky and hundreds of shadow beasts poured out of it, followed by the two humanoids.  
  
"Captain Emmett Exovisage to Venetian palace guards, there are over a hundred shadow beasts here at the Venetian school of the performing arts fair and festival! I am here with My Lady Councilor, Revered Terasu, Honored Selece, Honored Minai and four members of the guards. What are my instructions?" Emmett said into a radio he pulled out of no where. Then he listened for a response as the rest of the guard and Seraph ran over to get Terasu, Selece and Minai.  
  
"Your warning is received, Captain Emmett. Just keep yourselves alive out there. We'll be over there as soon as possible." Said a responding voice on the radio  
  
"What's going on?" Minai said.  
  
"We are being attacked by shadow beasts!" Terasu answered. They all stood their ground in the clearing as people rushed everywhere in a panic to get away. All the guards or Venetian military at the festival tried to keep the rush as orderly as possible. Terasu and Selece turned to Minai, "We are going to transform, okay? You'll be alright." Terasu said.  
  
"Transform? What?" but Terasu had already said the words of power and was engulfed by light and a sailor suited girl holding a scepter and a glass flute ran out to meet the beasts.  
  
"Don't worry about us, we'll be okay. Stay with the guards, they can fight the beasties off." Selece said.  
  
"But-!" Selece said the words of power as well and she to was engulfed by light and replaced with another sailor suited girl holding a large, ice fan and a harp of liquid, who promptly ran off to join the other. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury ran out into the fray of shadow beasts and began to attack them, having dropped their musical instruments into the void where they went for safe keeping. Sailor Moon blasted them with beams of light and Sailor Mercury sent gales of ice and freezing liquid at them.  
  
::Good day sailors, how goes the fighting?:: said the male being who was floating in the air above them.  
  
"Well enough; it would be easier if you wouldn't attack us, though!" Terasu answered.  
  
::be easier? Why would I wish to make it easy for thee? But all goes well enough, you say? Well, we shall fix that shan't we?::  
  
::Oh yes, we shall:: the female being said. She held up another energy ball similar to the one she'd had last time. ::It seems you have destroyed a fair number of our beasts already. But we have found a way to get more! Would you like to see?::  
  
"Not really!" Selece said after doing a swipe with her Shukusen, sending many shadow beasts into a frozen state.  
  
::You do not wish to see? Well I'm sure all those people would like to see it, would they not?:: the female said mockingly, motioning to the hundreds of people still running away from the fair grounds.  
  
::Oh, I think they would:: the male being agreed. The woman held up the glowing orb and the people running away were swallowed by their shadows and began mutating into shapes similar to the shadow beasts but much larger and with longer claws and bigger teeth at their disposal.  
  
"Oh my god." Sailor Moon said with an ominous tone.  
  
---  
  
Minai starred as a woman's shadow came alive from the ground and swallowed her up, changing into a ravaging shadow creature. Some people tried to run away from their shadows, very few succeeded. Here and there a person with magical abilities wouldn't be affected by the spell, such as the guards and the Royal Councilor, and they either tried to fight or ran away as well. The new shadow creatures would run around for awhile, destroying all they came across, man, beast or fellow human-mutation. The guards mostly tried to avoid as many fights as possible and get as far away from the area as they could. A guard shook her and Minai realized she wasn't moving, and quickly turned to run away with the guards and the Councilor.  
  
The guards hacked at all the beast who tried to get in their way, wincing as they cut into the flesh of the once human shadow hybrids. She didn't know what to do so she just ran along with them and tried to keep up. One of the hybrids came at her from her outside her range of view. She screamed, stumbling backwards as the hybrid rampaged towards her. The universe pulled at her, trying to force her into action, she told herself to get up, to run away, to do something, to do anything. But she couldn't do anything. Her mind groped around for something that was just out of her reach. Her vision slowed as the creature came at her, and she realized, I'm going to die here.  
  
At the last moment, two of the guards swiped at the beast's stomach at it stumbled, falling half-dead onto Minai, faintly she heard someone call out her name as she blacked out.  
  
---  
  
"What are we going to do?!" Sailor Moon pleaded, flinching every time she struck a blow on the new creatures. There were so many of them now that they were just trying to survive.  
  
"I don't know!" Sailor Mercury answered in obvious dejection. She slashed at a beast with a bladed edge of her shukusen fan and blew liquid ice at another. Sailor Mercury looked around to try to see were Minai, Seraph, and the guards were, while also trying not to get killed. "Moon! Let's try to find the others and help them escape!" she yelled over the screeching sounds made by the new hybrids.  
  
"Good Idea!" Moon answered. She slapped a beast upside the head with her scepter and blasted a path through the beasts and she shot around the corner of a now vandalized booth, with Mercury right behind her. Now they were mostly trying to get through and the blasted paths and knocked aside blows, trying to maneuver themselves through the twisting, maze-like set up of the festival grounds. Here they came to a dead end courtyard area and decided the shop owners no longer minded of they blasted to shop to get through. Finally they came to somewhat open area near the perimeter of the grounds that was swarming with the hybrids, barely any of the older shadow beasts were insight, only the new hybrids made from human shadows. There they spotted the guards, Seraph and Minai. They were about to call out to them but Minai tripped and a hybrid set upon her.  
  
"Minai!" The sailors called. They couldn't see what happened after that. A new wave of hybrids had found their way threw the maze of booths or created their own paths by trampling through. They lashed out at the scouts with all they had. All they could see around them was shadows. One came at Sailor Moon from behind to slash at her exposed back but a soldier came out of nowhere and shot a couple of spelled bullets at its head. The military had arrived at last, but all Sailor Moon could say was "Those are people!"  
  
"What?" the soldier asked.  
  
"Those are people! They turned them into shadow hybrids!" she forced out through tears as the soldier shot at another one. The soldier cursed and tried to relay her message through a radio he had pulled out. She and a few soldiers forced their way through the mass of shadow creatures and met yet more soldiers keeping the monsters back. They kept running and soon they were outside the general area of the fair and there were hardly any shadow creatures at all.  
  
But they were following. Suddenly they heard a voice yell "Now!" and a sort of energy force field came up and blocked the monsters from pursuing them. Sailors Mercury and Moon collapsed on the cement surrounded by the army and wondering how long that force field would hold.  
  
I am making this chapter two parts because if I had them together it would be very long. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'll try to get part 2 up as soon as possible. Bye! And review please! I don't get many of those... 


	4. The Venus saga part 2: A New Tempo

The freakin' italics and bolds aren't working! Why not? Why won't they work!!! Why!!! Some one please help me out if you know, till then I'll have to improvise. All the stuff that would have been mind speech is now going to have (::) around it. Like this:  
  
:: I am in your mind! Haha! ::  
  
And any stresses will be with the asterisks (*) Like this:  
  
"That guy is *ugly*!"  
  
I think you get it. Well, anyways, I don't own Sailor Moon, wish I did, you can't sue me. On with the story!  
  
Song of the New Cosmos  
By: Liquid_Goddess_Reformation  
  
Chapter Three: The Venus Saga Part 2: A New Tempo  
  
From what Minai had gathered, after she'd blacked out, two of the soldiers had kicked the beast off of her and carried her with them to this place. They were in one of the store room's of the school where the festival was being hosted. The five guards and the Lady all looked so tired, they must have been running a long time to get to that place; it was pretty far from where she had fainted.  
  
One of the soldiers, who looked to be the one in charge, was listening to a radio. It seemed to be a military frequency with officers reporting the standings on the battle with the beasts, but all the words must have been scrambled into a code or something because she couldn't tell what they were saying. The store room was pretty small but they all managed to sit down with a reasonable amount of comfort against all the boxes and file cabinets. There was one window near the ceiling that was pretty small and no one dared look at it for fear there might be a shadow beast staring back. It was amazingly quiet even with the radio, though the volume was turned down low. No one dared move until the man with the radio spoke.  
  
"The scouts got out!" he said quietly but still joyfully. Everyone sighed a bit of relief. Minai did as well, remembering that the sailor scouts were in actuality, her friends Selece and Terasu. "They are at head- quarters and they've put up an energy shield perimeter around the school and the fair grounds."  
  
"What about us! Are they going to get us out? Or do we have any new orders?" a female soldier asked.  
  
"They haven't said anything about it yet. I'd say that they would just leave us here to hide until they've exterminated all the shadow beasts except that we've got Lady over here," he pointed to the Lady Councilor, "and those new shadow creatures are humans. So they can't leave us here and they can't kill the shadow beasts. This does not bode well for us. What do you think Seraph?"  
  
"I agree with you're observation. We can only stay here so long and all our swords are broken, so we can't fight out." the councilor said. Minai finally noticed that all the sword handles were barely staying inside the sheaths and some didn't even have the handle left. The councilor pulled what was left from her sword out. It was just a military issue spelled- blade with a shattered pommel. "This is a festival of the arts, yes? I suggest we try to find some more swords." She said.  
  
"Yah, but we'll have to know where those swords might be down there or we'd probably get lost or hacked up by the creatures." Another soldier objected and everyone agreed. It seemed that they all wanted new swords but they didn't want to get sliced up for them.  
  
"It won't be too hard getting there unnoticed," The head soldier said, "most of the beasts are gathered at the energy shield and Seraph and Daisuke magiked the humanoids while they were off their guard and the vanished, so they won't be back for a while. I'd still rather get a map or something, does anyone know their way around here or remember where everything was?" everyone shook their heads.  
  
"Oh!" Minai exclaimed and pulled something out of her pocket and showed it to everyone. It was a crumpled up festival guide with a map and shop descriptions.  
  
"Perfect!" the head soldier said. He took the pamphlet from her and laid it out so everyone could see it. "Does any one by chance have a-," the councilor handed him a pen before he could finish. "I can barely believe how lucky we are; a guide, a pen, too bad we don't have anything to drink- ," they all jumped as a box fell off a pile and the soldier who knocked it over laughed nervously.  
  
"Sorry," he said. But under the box was a small refrigerator with a few six packs of soda.  
  
"We are keeping you around, kid!" the head soldier said to Minai, "You are lucky!"  
  
"Lucky! That's me!" Minai said with a pose. The head soldier laughed and turned back to business.  
  
"Okay, let's get to this map." he said while everyone sipped on sodas.  
  
"We should look at all the shops with weapon's sales, magical items sales, metal work or craftwork." The councilor said.  
  
"Antique sales might have some, too." Another soldier added. The head soldier separated the sheets that made up the pamphlet and handed some out, keeping others, since there wasn't enough room to spread all of it on the floor. It ended up that the female soldier had half of the map with the head soldier having the other, while all the rest of them had a piece of the shops list and descriptions.  
  
"Okay, it seems like a lot of those shops are in the same area." The head soldier ventured. "Any shops that seem like they might have spelled swords?"  
  
"This one maybe, Vican's Shop: spelled objects for everyday use." Someone said.  
  
"No," the councilor objected, "we went there, remember? They barely had anything. What about this one, Shop of the fine arts: sword tempering and custom engraving." Everyone was nodding, that sounded promising.  
  
"No, not that one either," Minai said "My cousin used to work for that shop and they didn't do spell work except for custom commissions. They might have some of their custom spelled ones there but I don't think it's worth looking at unless it's on the way or something." Everyone looked at her.  
  
"Do you know any shops that might have spelled swords?" one of the soldiers asked.  
  
"Maybe," she said, "I mostly know which shops won't have spelled swords."  
  
"Here," they gave her the pamphlets with shop lists and she began crossing them out.  
  
---  
  
After about an hour, maybe more, they had created a list of shops that they would look for weaponry in and a route that they would take to reach all the shops in the shortest amount of time. In some places they would have to double back because there was a dead end; when that happened they hoped that the shadow beasts may have created an alternate route or else they would loose time.  
  
Before they went out though, they gathered between them all the weapons they had left. There were three guns (the rest having been lost in the fighting,) with a few spelled bullets left, a few boot knives, two spelled daggers, a pack of smoke bombs, and a flare gun. The smoke bombs they had found in the store room, and the flare gun had been in an emergency kit that all military squads carried.  
  
While they had been figuring things out, Minai had been introduced to everyone. The councilors name was Seraph, and Minai had found out she wasn't just a minor Councilor, but the Chief Councilor to her Imperial Majesty. The head soldier was Captain Emmett Exovisage, and he was really nice for a military officer. The female guard's name was Vienna, and she seemed always to poke fun at everyone. The one who had knocked the box over was Daisuke and the other two were Yakumo and Gennady. It was kind of pathetic to think Daisuke, who almost seemed to trip over his own feet, was one of the more powerful mages in the military.  
  
They were all lined up with Vienna at the door and a gun in her left hand. She swiftly but quietly opened the door with her gun ready to shoot. After she judged it alright, she motioned for them to come out. Yakumo ran out with one of the other spelled guns and took a position along with Vienna as everyone quietly filed out. They came out into a large guest hall. The garden that was on the school grounds could be seen through a number of windows and a pair of double doors that had been left wide open. Vienna and Yakumo took up their positions outside the door and Emmett, who had the other gun, took a position right inside the door in case a beast somehow came from inside. Gennady had the map and after getting confirmation from Vienna and Yakumo that the coast was clear, motioned for them to take the path that went into the fair grounds.  
  
Gennady steered them through the fair grounds until they came to the first shop on their list. It was an antique shop that sold old weaponry and was in relatively good shape considering there were shadow beasts rampaging everywhere. "Okay, Vienna and Yakumo, keep your places in front of the shop, the rest of us will look around after I get in place in the back of the shop." Emmett said. He ran softly to the other end of the large, tarp covered square that was the Shop, in case there was a beast trying to get in from the shop alongside theirs. Emmett signed for them to go ahead.  
  
Minai, Seraph, Gennedy and Daisuke began looking through all the shelves, boxes and Trunks of old weapons. Ironically there were very few swords, mostly axes and daggers and old style guns, none of which were useful. Anything that was spelled was either done badly, was too chipped to be used, or missing a handle. They moved on.  
  
It went like that for a half hour. Run through the grounds, set posts, look, find nothing, then it started over again. Everyone was getting desperate. They had almost ran into a shadow beast but they had ducked into a shop just in time for the creature to miss them as it made a dizzyingly crooked rampage down the lane, knocking into shops and causing a lot of noise. While they were waiting for the monster to get farther away, as a safety precaution, Minai was looking through a box that had been under a table.  
  
It had been labeled "decorative items." Hey daggers were decorative, right? And, what do you know; daggers. She looked at the sign at the entrance of the shop and it said Madam Tabitha's Shop of mystically spelled items. Minai couldn't tell if they were spelled or not so she tapped Seraph's shoulder. Seraph turned around, looking annoyed but her eyebrows shot off her head as looked at what was in the box. Seraph in turn tapped Gennady's shoulder, who tapped Daisuke's shoulder who tapped Vienna's shoulder who smacked Emmett's head, who silently yelled at her. Vienna pointed to the box of Daggers that Minai had found. Emmett took a last look at the lane to make sure the beast was gone and motioned for them all to get up and start looking for more. Emmett inspected the box and took out two long bladed daggers with matching sheaths. One he gave to Vienna, the other he gave to Minai as she had no other way to protect her self. Gennady called that he and Daisuke had found a spelled sword. Seraph called that she'd found two sword cases and she needed help getting them out from under some things. Gennady and Daisuke held the boxes on top of the cases while Seraph pulled them out. She laid them out on the floor and opened them.  
  
"It's a Daisho, Captain!" Gennady called. Emmett motioned for Yamuko to take his place as look out and came to look.  
  
"It's spelled too." Seraph added. Inside the case were a small sword and a long sword in black scabbards with white characters painted on them. "It's an Ôdachi and a Wakizashi." Seraph said. They were both curved and definitely eastern style. The blades were bright silver and had characters engraved on the sides. The handle was wound tightly with black silk and characters were also painted on the silk with white paint. Emmett took the Ôdachi and started to give the Wakizashi to Yamuko but he refused it so, removing the old sheath and broken handle, he buckled both scabbards to his armor.  
  
In the other case was a pair of double Rapiers with intricate handles and handle guards of a black metal. The wires of the dark metal twisted together to form delicate looking winged shaped cages that protected the hand. On the blade itself was Archaic writing that glowed a faint, white light. Seraph raised her eye brows for a moment but put on the double Rapiers without a word.  
  
They looked around some more but found no more Swords. As they were leaving, Daisuke came out wearing two obsidian rings rimmed in silver and connected by silver chains. "What's with the rings, Daisuke? 're you marrying this place?" Vienna joked. Daisuke waited for the snickers to abate.  
  
"No, it's an amulet. And since I'd probably stab myself in the foot with a sword-,"  
  
"Heh! I can see you doing that!" Gennady snickered. Daisuke's eyes narrowed in annoyance.  
  
"As I was saying, since I'm worthless with a sword, I thought I could help better with magic instead." Daisuke said.  
  
"Good Idea, Daisuke, lets go." Emmett said and they filed off to the next place on their list.  
  
---  
  
"But we have to get Minai out of there!" Terasu yelled to the soldier that was guarding her, or containing her, as the situation might be. She was angry, angry at the soldiers, angry at that force field (which you could tell was there by the way it made everything look a little darker), and at the beasts and angry at herself. She'd been yelling to anyone and everyone who passed by to let her out there to get Minai, taking turns to morn for those who had been turned into Shadow Hybrids and staring off into space. Selece was in much the same mind but with a little more staring and a little less yelling.  
  
After the military had rescued them, their energy had finally run out and they de transformed while lying on the ground. They'd been taken to a place they could sleep and rest for awhile but after an hour respite they were ready to fight again and the military was trying to keep them under house arrest! Not that the "house" wasn't nice, though.  
  
They were in a luxury motor home that looked like a celebrity's travel bus. It had a small kitchen in dark green tile and white grouting with a stove, pantries, a refrigerator and microwave with ample food and tableware (though the tableware was mostly plastic/disposable.) It had a nice bathroom with lots of towels and bathroom necessities, a living room area with a holographic-screen system, a phone, some comfy couches that were either built in or nailed to the floor; Earlier she'd tried to move an armchair to get a better angle at the holoscreen and it hadn't gone so well.  
  
There were also two rooms with full sized beds. She'd woken up on one before and started to just go back to bed until she remembered about Minai and Seraph still out in the fair. She'd tried to leave and found out there were a few guards outside and they told her she couldn't; it was dangerous. How dare them! Now she was pacing in the Bus while Selece stared at the holoscreen which was showing the proceedings of the Shadowbeast battles at the festival.  
  
Not that anything was really happening. The government couldn't get permission to send any weaponry into the school grounds, the district wouldn't let them. She sighed, everything seemed hopeless. She got a glass of water for herself and another for Selece, who actually started drinking it, and sat down on the couch near her to stare at the footage, trying to catch a glimpse of her missing friends.  
  
"Hey! Se-le!"  
  
Selece nearly spat her water back out, and even though she didn't she coughed for a few minutes trying to get rid of the water she'd just inhaled. They both turned to the electric opening panel thing that buses tended to have that served as a door to see who it was but Selece already knew.  
  
"Daemian! What are you doing here?!" she demanded. Daemian just shrugged and walked up the rubber coated stares.  
  
"Wow! This is nice! How do you guys come off with a place like this?!" he asked sardonically. "'course, boats are better then busses, more fun too- ,"  
  
"-Daemian..." Selece sighed. He stopped looking at the bus and turned to them, noticing Seleces companion.  
  
"Oh, hi Terasu." He said a little surprised. "So what are you guys doing out here instead of out there?"  
  
"Why aren't you at the Venus Manor?!" Selece argued, or tried to argue, her personality was getting in the way though. Daemian had some how ended up as one of Mercury's representatives in the Grand Progress. When Selece and Terasu had asked him if he wanted to come with them he had said no. One of Seraph's guards had hinted something about Daemian meeting up with His Most Honored Highness Prince Venus's niece. Then they'd heard Seraph muttering a string of words that had contained "irresponsibe twit" and "halfwit", and those were the most toned down. It was clear that she thought he was an idiot.  
  
Daemian shrugged again. "'got bored."  
  
"You're mother will be so displeased with me!" Daemian rolled his eyes at that while Selece began pacing apprehensively.  
  
"So why aren't you guys out there?" he nodded toward the energy shield.  
  
"They won't let us go out there." Terasu supplied.  
  
"Why don't you just sneak out?"  
  
"How?" Terasu asked, tilting her head in confusion. Selece looked up from her pacing.  
  
"All these busses have escape hatches at the top, just climb out."  
  
"But won't they see us?"  
  
"Not until they can't do anything about it." He said. Terasu smiled jubilantly. They would be able to help there friends! She ran around the bus at light speed trying to find the escape hatch. After searching every inch of the bus in under a minute, she came back to where Selece and Daemian had been silently watching her with strange expressions.  
  
"I can't find it! I don't think this bus has one." Terasu said disappointedly dropping her head. She heard Daemian clear his throat and looked up.  
  
"Hahaha ... ," Terasu laughed nervously while sweat dropping. The hatch had been right above where they were talking the whole time. "I am stupid." She mumbled.  
  
"No you're not." Selece said firmly. "Come on; let's get this hatch open, alright?" Terasu nodded. "Okay, now get one of those chairs over there for me."  
  
"They are nailed down."  
  
"Oh. Well I guess we will have to jump. You first in that case; You are shorter." She said and hoisted Terasu up so she could unlatch the lock and climb onto the roof of the bus, then she helped Selece up.  
  
Before closing the hatch, Selece turned around to spy Daemian. "Don't follow us." She said. Daemian just rolled his eyes as Selece decided that would have to do.  
  
"Come on!" Terasu beckoned. Selece and Terasu crept away from the bus to the perimeter and swiftly snuck past a security guard patrolling a small square where the force field could not reach.  
  
---  
  
Minai, the Chief Councilor and the five Guards had continued on in there search for spelled swords. Between the five more shops they'd had left on there list, they'd finally found enough swords for everyone. They'd even gotten to try them out when a band of what looked to be the last of the original shadow beasts turned a corner to come up behind them. Within minutes they had all been slain with Seraph finishing the last one off with a scissor move using her double rapiers.  
  
"I like these! Whoever that Madam Tabitha was she is not getting these back!" Seraph declared. Finally they could try to get out.  
  
:: Or not. ::  
  
Daisuke threw up the hand wearing the two amulet rings and blocked the devastating bolt of magic that the Female shadow-being had thrown at him. Everyone sheltered there eyes as sod and dirt flew everywhere. Out of the confusion the female shadow being tried to strike at Daisuke with an arm that now suddenly had become a sickle. Daisuke brought his hand up again just in time.  
  
:: I shall kill you! You who have attacked me! :: she projected with a venomous insanity. Her face was disfigured in rage.  
  
"You attacked us first!" they all chorused.  
  
:: LIERS! ALL OF YOU! :: she screamed in a fit of madness and unleashed a pulverizing amount of energy upon the force shield. The amount of energy being giving off beckoned to the dark souls of the hybrid shadow beasts and they began to charge toward the area they were in. While Daisuke tried to stay off the attacks of the Shadow woman, Everyone else in the group were lashing out with there newly acquired swords just to keep from getting bowled over.  
  
Unfortunately, Minai was a horrible swordsman and she could barely do anything more than block with it and that not very well. You'd think a dancer would be a natural at this kind of thing but it seemed not. An attack from a creature caught her off-guard and she stumbled backwards. A shadow beast lunged at her but she rolled away and back to her feat; no shadow thing would get *her* again!  
  
---  
  
Terasu and Selece ran all through the former fair grounds when a blast of energy swept past them in the form of a terrible wind almost hoisting them off their feet. They both Called out the words of power and transformed simultaneously. When the light faded they stood in the uniform of the scout along with their weapons and instruments. Unfortunately the Silent man also stood there a few yards away on the grass.  
  
"Why do you persist attacking us?" Sailor Moon begged. But he did not reply. "Why do you want to destroy us?!" she yelled again.  
  
:: Because you destroyed *us* :: he said. Sailor Moon was slightly taken aback, that was not what she had expected.  
  
"When was that?" she asked back to him. "Is there anything we can-,"  
  
:: There is nothing you can do to gain redemption but die. :: he said vengefully and all the more so because of it's lack of rage. At this moment he was suddenly right in front of her, slashing down with his sword; she barely got her scepter up to parry in time. Simultaneously, shadow hybrids rushed out of no where to engage in the fighting as well. Another burst of air and light flooded onto them all; the military had put the shield down and Sailor Moon vaguely noticed soldiers coming to help Mercury with all the shadow beasts that were assaulting her; she was putting all her effort into bashing and blasting the shadow being before he blasted them all.  
  
A beam went right between Sailor Moon and the Shadow being. They both leapt away right before it could get either of them. Through the corner of her eye, Sailor Moon saw Minai, Seraph and the Guards. She felt like jumping up and shouting to them but they were in the middle of a battle between themselves and the Female Shadow Being and she could get slashed apart at any moment by the male being. This made her angry. He was blocking her from her friends!  
  
"Why must we fight? This is probably how you're people got destroyed in the first place! Do not be like those who harmed you!" she screamed at the being as she shot a beam at him.  
  
:: You do not understand. You could never understand! :: he said in return as he dodged her beam of light and slashed once again. Sailor Moon brought up her scepter to block and their weapons locked. Sailor Moon could barely hold his stroke back; he was much stronger than her.  
  
"That is only because you will not let me understand, I just want to help you..." she paused. "I want to help you, why will you not let me?" she said softly with tears rolling down her eyes. He just gazed at her sadly as he slowly eased the pressure from his sword.  
  
:: Why? Why do you wish to help me?::  
  
"Because you need help."  
  
:: Why would you do this? ::  
  
"Because you need it. Isn't that enough?" she said then started as she heard thunder in the sky and it began to rain. She looked up at the swirls of Bright green and inky black of the Venetian storm. She looked back to the being- no, the man. The rain made tuneful chimes as they impacted his sword and silver ornaments. She could distantly hear the sounds of battle as soldiers, guards and scout kept back the onslaught of the Shadows and the Darkness woman rage.  
  
"What is your name?" she asked randomly  
  
:: We are not allowed names among my people. ::  
  
"Why not?"  
  
:: We are not important enough. ::  
  
"Everyone deserves a name...."  
  
---  
  
They were going to lose! They couldn't keep this up for long. Minai desperately tried to stay alive as shadow creatures slashed and clawed. She felt a bump from behind her and whirled around to face the agitator.  
  
"Drop!" Minai obeyed as a swirl of iced water shot above her and froze a shadow beast that would have killed Minai otherwise. She looked up to see a woman in a blue uniform.  
  
It was Selece!  
  
"Sel-!"  
  
"It's Sailor Mercury at the moment! Come on-," Sailor Mercury gave Minai her hand to help her up. Behind her an exceptionally large shadow creature swung its arm, smacking Sailor Mercury on the side of the head with a rather loud crack as thunder rolled in the distance and it began to rain.  
  
"Sailor Mercury!" Minai screamed. Sailor Mercury did not get up and rain continued to poor. Words of power sprang into Minai's brain, engulfing every fiber of her being. She couldn't even hear herself speak as she opened her eyes to a great brightness.  
  
---  
  
A girl in a sailor scout uniform appeared in front of her. Her skirt was bright orange with an overlaid layer of sheer gold. More of the gold, sheer material overlaid indigo front and back bows and hung in pleats from her back bow. The Symbol of Venus ornamented her bows, collar and where her skirt met her waist. In her hair was a red headband with raised gold swirling in beautiful but incomprehensible patterns. In one hand the girl held a Tambourine, the music making discs in gold and an orange rimmed in gold symbol of Venus on the white hide that covered the flat top. In the other hand was a Chain of Golden hearts.  
  
She looks like me, Minai thought. "Are you Sailor Venus?" she asked.  
  
:: Yes! I am the third hope, Sailor Venus! :: Sailor Venus said with smile while striking a pose. :: As are you! The Keeper has recognized you as the giver of Love and warmth everlasting! Venus herself has accredited you with the sacred power of love! ::  
  
Minai's usual genki-ness was lost in the void, she just stared dumbly.  
  
:: Hey! :: Sailor Venus said accusingly with her hands on her hips. :: What are you sitting around for? Go help your friends! ::  
  
"What? Oh! What do I have to do?" Minai asked.  
  
:: Just trust in yourself, and follow your heart. :: Sailor Venus said while smiling warmly. The light faded and Minai was back on the battle field in the garb of the sailor of Venus with the Love-Me Chain and Golden Tambourine. She remembered Sailor Mercury lying injured somewhere on the ground somewhere and sent her Love-Me Chain to whip the Shadow beasts away with golden energy. As soon as she had a perimeter around Sailor Mercury she helped her up. It must not have been as bad as she'd thought it was from the loud cracking sound she'd heard.  
  
"Are you okay mercury?" she inquired.  
  
"Yah, I think we heal faster in this form." Sailor mercury said with faint smile to her friend. As soon as Sailor Venus thought it was safe to let go of Mercury she did and turned to the Shadow beasts.  
  
"Okay all you people!" she said, dropping her Love-me chain. It instantly disappeared and she was left only with the Tambourine. To Mercury, she whispered, "I can hold these guys off for a while, you go help Seraph and them with that Mean old lady." Mercury nodded and waved good luck with another smile as she ran to help the others. Venus turned back to the shadow beasts who were staring at her dumbly.  
  
"I think we need some R-H-Y-T-H-M!" she said and began to rattle out a beat with her Tambourine. The Shadow beasts began to sway in sync with the beat. "All right, now you got it!" Venus shouted encouragingly, "Let's go!" and she began to walk away from the Battle with the wicked woman, leaving her friends to handle it without distractions. The shadow beasts followed in perfect lines, all swaying to the tempo of the Tambourine in unison. Soldiers collapsed on the floor in relief and stared at the strange procession as it passed them by.  
  
---  
  
Daisuke had long since lapsed into unconsciousness from the drain of keeping up a defense shield of such power to counteract the sheer energy the female shadow being was giving off in her fit of rage. And what was worse, it had begun to rain with a vengese. While he lay on the floor, Gennedy and Yakumo guarded him from shadow beasts and energy blasts from the female being. Vienna tried to keep the shadow beasts off of herself and Seraph, the only person there, besides Daisuke with enough magical power to make a bit of difference. Seraph tried to shoot her waning energy only to divert the woman for fear she would run out and collapse like Daisuke. Emmett used his swords to defend them all from energy blasts.  
  
:: DIE! ALL OF YOU! :: the woman charged up a clawed hand with a large ball of sickly green energy to shoot at them all and was almost ready to toss it at them when a blast of frozen water engulfed the left side of the woman's body and was frozen in motion.  
  
"Are you guys okay?" said Mercury from their left.  
  
"Yah, we'll be all right." Emmett said, answering for all of them.  
  
"Okay, let's go." Mercury said and began to lead them back to the HQ believing the battle to be over. "ahh!" mercury was Forced to the ground as a wind full of splinters of ice forced her head to smack the ground again. This time as she got up, her vision swung in and out of focus making her nauseous. She barely left the ground before she stumbled, tripped and fell back down.  
  
"Sailor Mercury!" many voices yelled to their fallen comrade. Every one else had been forced on the ground but had missed most of the shattered ice. The Silence woman had broken free of the ice and now begun to pound on them all with added vigor and rage.  
  
---  
  
Man, my arms are starting to hurt, Sailor Venus thought. She had run out of room in walking straight and so had begun to make circles around the fair/school grounds. "Step lightly now everyone!" she yelled to her faithful followers. Suddenly the wind picked up and she was thrown to the ground, losing the rhythm and releasing the Shadow creatures. They started a moment to shake off the effects of the Repeat Rhythm then scattered. Venus hurriedly got up and ran as fast as she could toward where her friends were. Something was not right.  
  
---  
  
Sailor moon set off to where she sensed her friends' energies. Somehow she had ended up on the farthest side of the fair from where they were. She was also acutely aware of the man trudging behind her; he wasn't actually trudging but he gave the impression of trudging without the added noise or movement.  
  
While she had been talking with the man they had both suddenly realized that there were no more shadow creatures around and gone to investigate striking an uneasy truce until they could talk with the other shadow woman. Upon seeing Minai, now Sailor Venus, herding the creatures like many anal- retentive cattle, Sailor Moon laughed with the man saying nothing behind her, but she sensed that he found it amusing as well. They set out to the other side of the fair, deciding to take a short cut through the forest of the now trampled and jumbled booths following the expansive energy of her friends and the shadow woman.  
  
"Ah! We're almost there!" Sailor Moon said as they turned another corner.  
  
:: Yes, I have sensed it as well. :: he said. Sailor moon felt her cheeks turn red, of course he would have felt it. As they turned the corner she was lifted off the ground and was about to be carried along by a sudden wind caused by a great spike of energy.  
  
"AHHHhhhhhHHHHhhhhHHHH!!" she yelled as she was pushed back but the man caught her by the foot and the wind abruptly lessened and she fell to the ground. "Ouch ..." she grumbled while messaging her shoulder and getting up.  
  
:: Sorry ... :: She was surprised to hear such a thing from him, even if it was in a quite and hesitant mind-voice. She jumped as Venus dashed up to her talking a mile a minute.  
  
"I am so-so-so-so-so-so-Sorry! There was wind and it knocked me down and I lost the tempo and the shadows got away and I ran back here and now I don't know what to do so I ran up here to ask you what to do and I saw him and —WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?!" she said this in under a second. Sailor Moon to a moment to sort through all the information she had been given in so short a time.  
  
"He's a friend now-,"  
  
"Oh, okay!"  
  
"Yah, I think I know how to cure all the hybrids but I will need backing from you Venus, can you handle it?" she said teasingly despite the situation.  
  
Sailor Venus struck a pose. "Yes, Ma'am!"  
  
"Okay, and you," she turned to the man, "you are going to try to talk to you're Lady-Friend over there." She gestured to the crazy woman causing havoc among her friends desperately trying to keep back flood of hybrids and the wicked woman all at once. Surprisingly the man just nodded and they split up.  
  
---  
  
Seraph was hit to the ground by another shadow beast. They sudden wave of hybrids had caught them off guard even while the woman was cackling madly.  
  
:: Stop! :: Seraph's eyes bulged out of her head and looked up to see Emmett who was about to help her up before he to heard the mind-shout, with his eyes just as far out of his skull as hers. What was he doing?!  
  
:: We must stop this! Even if they did do evil things to us in the past they must have changed! They are so different then what we have seen and been told! :: The male shadow walked up to the evil woman.  
  
:: They have not changed! They must DIE! :: she said and another energy spike sent the wind spewing away from her, almost lifting them all off the ground once again.  
  
:: Listen to what the White-One has told me, she- ::  
  
:: YOU HAVE BECOME ONE OF THEM! YOU TOO MUST DIE! :: and she knocked him out of the way as well. He flew twenty feet almost where Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus were standing.  
  
---  
  
Sailor Moon noticed the man land on the muddy ground a few feet away from her but she couldn't hesitate. She dropped her scepter and drew up her glass flute and began to play a Healing Tune. The Song drifted for miles inhabiting all the beings in warmth and hope. The woman could not stand the goodness and fled. The remaining shadow Hybrids fell to the ground and the rain washed away blackness that ran as black ink off the unconscious victims. When her song was done she collapsed to the ground as well and fell into sleep as military personnel put her on a stretcher and into a hospital bed in head quarters.  
  
In her small amounts of conscious thought she thought she saw the once shadow being in the bed that was next to hers. But he was younger, with fine white hair, coppery skin and light crystal-blue eyes...  
  
~~~  
  
TEE HEE! I think it's so cool! I am so vain it's pathetic. Next chapter they go to earth! HEHEH!! I think I'm going crazy with all the yummy Illium goodness that will be in the chapter to come. Who is Illium you ask? To Bad you have to what! Also next chapter ( I keep wanting to say episode?) we will finally find out where the hell those danged weapons and musical instruments go when the scouts let go of them! As told by Sailor Mercury! Yes, I didn't leave out her brains! 


	5. Earth's Evocation

Chapter five! Cool! No, really, this is going to be a good one; I think. I hope you guys like it.  
  
And I Own Sailor moon! I own all of it hahah!!— Sorry guys...went psycho there for a minute; I think I've been thinking about Robin McKinley's Sunshine to much. Those vampires are getting to me. And I can't write a fanfic on it...No! I like Vampires...Well either way, be sure to check out my new Hellsing fiction called Revenant! If you like hellsing that is...  
  
I'm this close to changing the rating on this to PG-13; just to be safe. Please tell me if I should or not.  
  
Once again:  
  
::Mind speech:: emphasis  
  
Song of the New Cosmos By LGR  
  
Chapter five: Earth's Evocation  
  
---  
  
Darkness. Darkness since the times of Turmoil, since before the Great Quiescence when they came. He remembered now. There was much light; much peace and hope; Always hope ... And then there was the quiescence.  
  
Darkness Shuddered against the sky and there was no sound. No light. No hope.  
  
The stars that once sang to his race now grew dim and faded away; Washed from the colorful pallets to grayness. Conformed from the music into a great din and then silenced. There was silence. There was depression. And there was death.  
  
And then there was Necrosis. He gave a sense to the darkness and silence. He gave a will, a way, and a purpose.  
  
To destroy the light; To cast a shadow on their endless expanses; To Silence their singing and dampen their hopes.  
  
But he did not know. How could he? He saw the light and it broke his barriers. He could here the singing. He could see the dancing colors. Hope did remain in the Universe.  
  
The Necrosis had raided the Cosmos, wishing to control its vast riches and enslave all life-forms. But when it came to the light of one solar system, the light out shown them and it was forced to retreat. All its highest officers had been stricken by its purifying qualities and had ascended from the Necrosis to the light. The Necrosis waited millennia and then began to rebuild its armies of slaves and brainwashed servants. Tormenting and raking them, counting on the cerebral instinct to suppress unpleasant memories from consciousness. And they were very unpleasant.  
  
But now it seemed so far away. It didn't matter any more. He could open his eyes now. For the first time, in a very long time, he could truly open his eyes and not die from what he would see. And he did.  
  
---  
  
Color. And sound. It was all music and it danced and awakened his mind from a great night to the wondrous sunrise. He would have gaped but he couldn't move. He was in a hospital, or so the newly active part of his brain told him. But it was on a ground floor, with a giant window that held an explosion of colorful flowers and soft sounds of birds.  
  
Reds, Greens, Yellows. He saw them and fell in love with them all over again.  
  
And a sky.  
  
It was the clearest and purest blue in all existence. And clouds; they were white; the color of new beginnings. All colors could be put onto the whiteness of the paper and be at there brightest and purest. It was a fresh start. Newness as yet unforeseen in the nightmare his mind had floated in for multiple eons. He had been given a second chance ...  
  
By her. She was sleeping in an armchair across from his bed. Her hair was rings of silvery-white, her skin a pale alabaster. Everything about her was fresh, clean. She had long, delicate limbs and yet she was perfectly proportioned despite her long-ness and shortness as well. She had a round, smooth face; and large eyes that he knew were pale blue-silver. She was a child of the full moon and a glowing reflection on dark waters of the Universe. There were few that could match her glow, her shine. In all his years, as fragmented as they were, he had never seen a being such as this  
  
He heard the sound of foot-steps on tile or stone and the door that was a few feet away from The Moon child, opened a moment later to admit a dark individual. He knew this one as well. It was the guardian. She was very tall and seemed cut from onyx; A foundation for her followers with a straight and even gaze and firm hand. She was a darkness that reflected the light into shimmering designs, not the darkness of the Necrosis. She had burnished, copper skin and long black-hair. Her eyes were a smoky, dark blue and held a quiet acuity behind her sarcastic tongue. She saw him awake and smiled.  
  
"I just came by to check on you." She said. He just watched her dumbly, and he knew it too but his mind wasn't in the mood to do anything about it. She didn't seem to care for a response as she simply walked over to the window, took the vacant chair that he hadn't seen next to it, and pulled it over to sit down in. "Goodness, but you look so different," she said after staring at him for a minute. He gave her a slightly confused look.  
  
She held up her finger and pulled a hand mirror from her robes then held it out to him. He took it and looked into it.  
  
A youth with copper skin, tousled white hair and crystal blue eyes stared back. His features were very defined and slightly pointed giving him a somewhat exotic look. As he blinked in shock he heard the woman talking.  
  
"- You don't look any older than me, and I'm seventeen. I have been informed that I look older than that but I don't think you'd enjoy my even touching on that subject. You could almost be my little brother or something."  
  
He looked up at her in confusion. And she continued "Everyone keeps saying you look like me. I don't get it but, there you are. I think it's just because we have darker skin." She considered something and asked him. "Do you have a name?"  
  
He opened his mouth to answer and- nothing.  
  
He mouthed the words but there was no sound. He tried to use his mind. Nothing. His cerebrum freaked out and he was in a mental state of panic until he felt a light slap on his face.  
  
"Calm down. If you don't have a name it doesn't matter I-," she paused as he violently shook his head and she caught on. "oh, Oh! Don't worry about it. I talked to the healer earlier and she told me a few of you're muscles hadn't been used in ages and even the ones you did use often would barely be working for a while." He calmed instantly and fell back onto the bedding with a flop. "Seriously though, you could be my little brother or something." She pinched his cheek as he gave her an 'oh my god' look. "Sorry." She said. "' Couldn't help it." And then she got up from her chair and left with instructions to be good and a promise she'd be back later.  
  
---  
  
As Seraph walked out of the room she was met by the doctor in charge of the boy; Emmett and the five guards; Her Imperial Highness Serenity Mashiro; Daemian; Selece; Minai; The King of Earth and his daughter, named Ritsuko; The Kings generals; Geoffrey, the chronicler's great-grandson; a Colonel of the Moon guard and a scientist. They were all asking her questions at once, wanting to know if he was alright, if he was a threat, what kind of alien he was (how was she supposed to know?), if Terasu had awakened yet...She just stood there until everyone shut up and Mashiro asked, "Is he well?"  
  
Everyone else backed-off while waiting for Seraph to answer. "Yes," she said, "Well enough. He can't talk at the moment but he's thinking fine." She said.  
  
"Is he, in anyway, a threat to us?" the King asked.  
  
"No, I would say he is definitely on our side, at the moment. And even if he wasn't, he is not in any shape to start a killing spree."  
  
Mashiro nodded and turned to the Colonel. "Please make sure the boy is immediately placed in the Guard under the service of the crown as soon as he is well enough." She said. Seraph was very proud of her mistress for immediately thinking of this; it would give the boy a purpose for being on the progress and give him something to do as well as shut up any problems concerning his former allegiance. As a beginner he would have to be in the training program in which he would be watched at all hours of the day. After they had heard this, the nurse made most everyone bugged-off, saying he needed to rest, leaving only those who were part of the moon progress. Mashiro gave Seraph a nod and left with the rest of the spectators, leaving only Seraph, Emmett and the Scouts (the other guards having left with the colonel).  
  
"Can we go see them? Please! Please, please, please, PLEASE!" Minai begged with Selece standing behind her.  
  
"Go ahead. He's awake but Terasu isn't."  
  
"Yay!" and she ran into the room almost hitting Selece in the forehead with the door as she flung it open. Seraph could hear a "Hello!" from Minai as she walked down the hall with Emmett following.  
  
---  
  
"Hello!" said the Venetian said brightly while the Mercurian started to close the door and the guardian shook her head and walked down the hall, Emmett following a few steps behind.  
  
He just blinked at her. She blinked at him. She turned around to the other girl and said. "Doesn't he look smaller to you?" The Mercurian peered at him and said, "he has the same mass. His coloring was just much darker before and this caused him to appear larger and older. Also he is sitting down."  
  
"Wow! I would never have thought of that! The dark colors and all. Do you know what happens to our stuff when we drop it and it disappears?"  
  
"It's below your line of sight?" she said, confused. The Venetian rolled her eyes.  
  
"No! You know, our instruments an' stuff."  
  
"They materialize into a pocket dimension created by our planetary energies and connected to our subconscious thoughts." She said.  
  
"Whoa!" they noticed there patient looked annoyed at there acting like he wasn't there. "Oh, sorry." The Venetian said. "My name is Minai!" she said cheerfully.  
  
"I'm Selece." The other said with a little wave.  
  
"What's your name?" Minai asked. He gave her a dejected expression. As unexpressive as his face was before, it showed his every thought now. "Don't have one, huh?" she asked with a strange look in her eyes he nodded sadly. "Don't even worry about it!" she said even more hyper all of a sudden. She danced over to the chair Terasu was sleeping in and took a piece of paper out of her limp hand that he hadn't noticed before.  
  
"We were up all night thinking of cool names for you!" she said. Selece's hand came up and smacked her in the face as she took on a humiliated expression. "Here!" she said and handed him the piece of paper.  
  
He looked at it. He turned it upside down. He turned it sideways. It just looked like squiggles to him.  
  
"You can't read?" Selece inquired. He huffed up and gave her an offended look.  
  
"Than why can't you read that?" He just shrugged.  
  
"Maybe they write different where he comes from." Minai said. Now it was Selece's turn to shrug.  
  
"Could you right something if we gave you some paper?" Selece prodded and he nodded an affirmative. Selece ran out and brought a clip board and attached pen with a piece of paper from nowhere and stuck it on his lap. "Write something."  
  
He gave her a 'like, what?' look.  
  
"I don't know. Minai?"  
  
"Write our names! Write our names!" she shouted. He began to write out their names as he knew it. His hands were very shaky but he managed them without to many accidental squiggles. Selece grabbed it from him. "Wow! I've never seen writing like that!" Minai stood on tip toe to look over Selece's shoulders. "Hey it looks like ripple designs or something; or maybe Rays. It's really pretty." Minai added.  
  
"I don't know what this is." Selece said. "Let's go ask Geoffrey."  
  
"You should marry him! I know you like him!"  
  
"What! I barley met him!" Selece was completely crimson. They walked out the door and for a second he thought that they had forgotten him but Minai came back for a split second and told him she'd be right back. He layed back in his hospital bed and slept.  
  
---  
  
"So?"  
  
"'So' what?"  
  
"See anything weird about him?" They had walked in Silence for a while and Emmett finally asked Selece about the boy.  
  
"I saw no odd tentacles sticking out of his head, or strange discolored splotches on his face."  
  
"You know what I meant." Seraph sighed, she new he was talking about auras and things. She was just a little edgy today. She could barely keep her irritation under control in that hall.  
  
"He had a very bright gold aura in strange ripples or rays coming off of him in swirling pictures."  
  
"That seems really odd to me."  
  
"I suppose it is."  
  
"I feel sorry for him."  
  
"I do as well—Oof!" she saw stars and the mosaic tiles of the Earth capital building floor and heard stammered apologies. "Why am I on the ground?" she asked.  
  
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" It was Minai. Her temper took a wrong turn as Emmett helped her up.  
  
"What the Hell were you doing running around like that?! You could have killed someone damn-it!" she yelled and no one dared move. "You almost killed me for gods' sake!" All the people in the courtyard that could be seen through the arches of the building were watching intently and she noticed. "What in the hell do you people want?! Mind your own damn business!" everyone immediately when back to what they were doing. "You to!" she added to Minai and Selece. They ran off as fast as they could. She stamped down the hall in a huff in the opposite direction with Emmett getting a slap on the face as he commented on the fact that it must be 'that time of the month'.  
  
---  
  
He woke up and found that the moon girl was gone from her place at the chair but found next to his bed, a pitcher of water and a glass. He poured himself some water and drank it while sitting up. Just then the door opened to admit three very flustered looking people. Minai, was almost trembling, Selece was walking so stiffly it was odd to look at and the boy looked like he expected the devil himself to jump out at him from behind.  
  
"You all look as if you have been harassed." It just popped out of his mouth and it definitely surprised everyone in the room though it wasn't more than a whisper. They all jumped. He noticed he could speak now, at least a little and gave them an amused smile.  
  
Minai recovered first. "Wow! You must be feeling better already!"  
  
"Yes." He said quietly. "Why are you all frightened?" he asked.  
  
They all winced. "Seraph, the Man-Eater." said the boy.  
  
"There is a creature here that eats humans?" he said both quizzically and slightly distressed. They all laughed a little. "No." he said. "Sorry, I'm Geoffrey" Geoffrey came and held out his hand, after a moment he took it. Geoffrey was very tall and lanky and he had light skin, and chestnut hair and eyes. In his arm he held multiple books, scrolls, notebooks and other things.  
  
"I thought you knew Seraph?" Selece asked from next to him. "She said she talked to you earlier?"  
  
"The" and then there was a word that none of them understood, "came to see me. Was that her name?" they all looked a little confused. "What is it that I have said?" he asked.  
  
"We're just trying to figure out what that second word you just said was." Geoffrey answered. He said the word again with a questioning tone.  
  
"It sounds vaguely familiar." Geoffrey said. "Sounds like Ancient Fervolic maybe." And he began to shuffle through all the stuff in his arms and dropped half of it. He sighed and started gathering it up again.  
  
"What does that word mean?" asked Minai.  
  
He shrugged. "One who oversees; one who keeps vigilance; one who attends..."  
  
"The language we speak isn't you're language is it?" Geoffrey asked from the floor.  
  
"No."  
  
"How do you know our language then?"  
"I remember it from before."  
  
"From before what?" Geoffrey asked.  
  
"From before the moon girl." They all seemed to understand. He had used mind speech before and learnt their language through it he put it into practice now that he could speak without the aid of mind magic.  
  
"Well, anyways," Minai said, "Selece and I were going to get Geoffrey and I knocked over Seraph—,"  
  
"You knocked over the Shvleidah?" he said in mock unbelief at their having gotten out alive. They recognized the word he had used before to identify Seraph. "You are not a ghost, perhaps?" he asked slightly joking.  
  
"I wish I were a ghost! She chewed us out! And in front of everyone, too! Emmett did try to calm her down some though." Minai finished.  
  
"Emmett? The Kytthroga?"  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"One who waits; one who stands; one who shall stay..."  
  
"She yelled at everyone else as well, though." Selece added after a moment.  
  
"Yah, but then when we were coming back, we saw Seraph again when we walked passed the guards training area and she was chewing out a general because he hadn't done something he was supposed to have done and then she saw us looking and said," now Minai puffed herself up and shook her finger in the way that Seraph did when she was scolding someone. "'Don't you people have something better to do than irritating me all day? Get out of here!' so we ran off but we heard her yelling at the general again because he had been trying to sneak away ... and it was scary."  
  
"It sounds as something to be afraid of."  
  
"You talk strange." Minai said.  
  
"No," Geoffrey intervened, "he just talks properly. Ah! I knew it was in here somewhere." And he held up a book, set it on the counter and began sifting through the pages until he came to one. "Yes, it looks slightly similar to Japanese, or even Arabic, but it's not really related to either of those at all. It's actually Primal Aurelic." Geoffrey showed them how his writing matched the sample writing in the book. "There are maybe only a handful of examples of it, and all of those were rescued from the remains of the Lunar Library thousands of years ago, when Serenity Usagi began to re-colonize the Moon. We have no understanding of the substance of those writings."  
  
They were all silent until the sound of the door opening made them jump, then its opener made them jump again. It was Seraph.  
  
"Geoffrey, why are there books on the ground?" Seraph said in an all- to pleasant voice. Geoffrey immediately snatched his books off of the floor as Emmett and the Moon girl walked in behind her. He brightened at the last.  
  
"Boy? As soon as you are well, you shall be inducted into the Moon Guard. Hopefully this will be today. The nurse will give you a last look over and if you are pronounced fit we will lead you to your new place. I'm sorry but the paranoid ones have made us burn your old clothes, not that I thought you would care much, but we have a moon guard trainee uniform for when you go." And she left it on the counter and walked out with Emmett. The moon girl stayed behind and ran up and hugged him as soon as they had left.  
  
"I'm so glad you're okay! I didn't care what that nurse said, I was scared you wouldn't get better; I thought she was kind of a mean nurse anyways." The moon girl said.  
  
And he laughed. He wasn't sure if it was because she said his nurse was mean of because she was worried about him. Him. No one was ever worried about him.  
  
When he finally calmed down he said, "I am sorry. I do not know why it is that I laugh." She smiled at hearing his real voice for the first time.  
  
"You don't have to talk so formal, you know. I don't think even the Etiquette teacher speaks that formally." She said.  
  
"I know no other form of speech in this language." He said and noticed that Geoffrey, Selece and Minai must have left since they weren't there anymore. "Did they leave?" he asked.  
  
"Huh." She said as she noticed too. "Guess so." She shrugged then looked back at him.  
  
"Is you're name Illium?" she asked out of the blue.  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"You were asleep earlier. And I ..." she became hesitant, "I asked you who you were and you said Illium. What does that mean?"  
  
"Illium. One who is shown the way of the right; one who sees light after darkness."  
  
"I think that you should keep it." The moon girl said.  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
"My name? I guess I never told you. I'm sorry. My name is Terasu."  
  
"Your name holds power. What does it mean?"  
  
"It is Japanese. It means to shine on; to illuminate."  
  
"It is very fitting." There was a knock on the door and the nurse came in.  
  
"I'm sorry but My Lady Councilour has told me to see if he is ready to be moved, you'll have to leave Revered Terasu."  
  
"Alright. Bye!" she said and left.  
  
---  
  
The nurse had said he was no longer ill and so he had been moved to a small room of his own. The first day, the teachers had evaluated what he already knew. Even though he was still tired from before, his swordsmanship was top-notch and once he had been shown how a gun worked, we had almost perfect aim. His speech was perfect but his hand writing was literally none- existent. He knew no history, and no foreign language; unless you counted his Primal Aurelic, which it seemed, had been dead for millennia. One thing he was pretty competent in was math. He just knew it. When the teacher given him questions to complete, he knew what to do and did. Or more his hand did it and he watched with amazement as it went down the paper doing every one. And science was completely easy for he knew how things lived and such without needing to be told. So when it came down to it, all he had to do was an accelerated handwriting class, a history class, and the general sort of training i.e. what to do when this happened, how to use a radio properly, what this code meant and that code.  
  
He went to classes with the other students of the crown that wanted to be in the moon guard and though they were all kind to him, they had there own circles of friends and tended to drift together. On the second day after lunch in the main hall area at the earth capital that was set aside for them, four boys came and sat next to him. Three of them were also students; though one, sandy haired and green eyed, was in the outfit for a person training to be an advisor; and the two others, twins with red hair and hazel eyes, were in the uniforms of apprentice healers. The other wasn't a student at all. He was an averaged height boy with dark blue hair and light eyes. They all seemed about fifteen. It was the blue haired one who spoke.  
  
"Hello! I'm Daemian." And he held out his hand for a shake. "that's Tony," he pointed to the sandy haired one, "and they're Alex and Zackary." The two twins held up their hands in acknowledgement. "Se-le told me you were pretty good with a sword." Illium was slightly confused."  
  
"Who is Se-le?"  
  
"Oh. I guess you wouldn't know. It's Selece but I just call her Se- le. She's my tutor."  
  
"I understand."  
  
"Well anyways, I've already beaten the few students that they brought on progress at least a billion times in practice matches and I was hoping you would be more of a challenge; if you don't mind that is. It's not a real match or anything; just for fun. As healer students, Alex and Zackary don't get taught sword unless they want to and they just didn't want to and Tony's kind of laid-back."  
  
"Yes, I am!" Tony said.  
  
"See? So now I've beaten probably everyone and they don't want to fence any more because they always loose. And all the really good people like the soldiers and all the other instructors don't have the time. And hell knows that Selece and Minai don't use swords..." He had a sort-of begging expression on his face.  
  
"I suppose that I could—."  
  
"Yes! When can we have a match? You guys get a break for an hour after lunch yeah?" all of them nodded their heads. "Yes!" and he grabbed Illium and dragged him to a practice court.  
  
---  
  
On the first day that the teachers had tested his skill, he had beat out every person very easily. Daemian was quite a bit better but he still couldn't win.  
  
"It's not fair. You're sword is longer and heavier than mine."  
  
"If you wish it, you may trade your sword for one identical to mine."  
  
"It's a little too heavy for me."  
  
"Then perhaps shorter and lighter is more suited for you."  
  
"I'm complaining, aren't I?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You tell him, Illium! Kick his cocky butt again!" Tony, Alex and Zackary said.  
  
"Come on, guys!" Daemian protested. The first match had ended with Daemian being "killed" in one move. The second took a little bit longer, but he was still "killed" when Illium came up under a vertical-upward slash by Daemian and did a slash that, if followed through with, would have cut Daemian's arm off. On the third, Illium completely shattered Daemian's sword when he parried his slash with a particularly hard hit.  
  
"Yay!" they both jumped and turned to see the three scouts and the Kings daughter, Ritsuko sitting next to the three boys on the grass, watching.  
  
"I told you he was good." Selece called to Daemian.  
  
"Yah, guess I didn't believe you at first." Daemian admitted. They all heard a gong go off from somewhere in the capital building and let out sighs of disappointment. "Well, lunch hour is over. Maybe we co—ah!" Illium had seen it coming just in time to put up a magic shield to protect them from the blast. Even so, it shook the ground and they were all in the dirt and visibly shaken. They looked up to see the woman shadow being.  
  
:: The Traitor. :: she said. :: You will be the first to die by the new powers the necrosis has granted me! :: Reality split and shadow beasts poured out of the tear created in the Universe. Immediately Terasu, Selece and Minai said the incantation and, within moments, stood in the sailor suits of the scouts.  
  
"Let's split up!" Sailor Mercury yelled over the chaos. "Daemian, Princess Ritsuko and Tony can come with me. The Twins can go with Sailor Venus. We'll start getting rid of the Shadow creatures while Illium and Sailor Moon go after the Lady!" they all nodded and split up into groups to protect themselves from shadow beasts with magic or sword or weapon.  
  
Sailor Moon started running through the chaos, to where the Lady had been, with Illium following. She slapped at all the shadow beasts with her Scepter and blasted them when she was sure it wouldn't hit someone else by accident. Behind her she could hear the swish of metal and ripping sound that was always produced when a sharp object tore at the shadow flesh of the creatures. She trusted him. She still didn't know why, but she did and with her life. He was an entirely different person from who he was. She knew he wouldn't touch her; even by accident. No harm would come to her in his hands.  
  
She plowed on through the shadow spirits.  
  
:: Ah. The traitor comes. And he's brought a little white witch with him. :: said the Lady being in her mind as she looked up from fighting to see the floating woman in the sky. :: It's time for you to witness your end. :: The woman flung up her arm and high in the sky, a part of it turned black and began to fold into itself. ::The Necrosis has given his own Guardian to me! I have been bestowed with his power! :: and a Giant, blue thunder bolt flew out of the heavens and swept across the sky making the air crack, boom and ripple in the heat. The bolt solidified into an elongated serpent shape. As it slipped through the air in elegant ripples and liquid-like motions it came to a stop alongside the woman. It was a flaming black and neon blue dragon with a long snout and horribly long teeth and twisting horns protruding from its head. A flaming, neon blue crest encompassed the area above its eye ridges. It was one of the most beautiful and the most deadly creatures in the universe.  
  
:: This is Sendo-ryuujinno. :: she said, :: The Dragon King of Death :: Sailor Moon felt all the blood run out of her face and noticed that beside her, all the blood in Illium's face must have been misplaced as well. But he was also shaking.  
  
"Ie. Ien Ukio en Jimo Ryji." She heard him mumble.  
  
"What? What is it you were saying?" she asked him. He looked at her and in his eyes she saw he was terrified.  
  
"That dragon." He began. "Is a corruption of the Ukio en Jimo Ryji. You would say: Life is also the Dragon Spirit."  
  
Life is also the Dragon Spirit? That doesn't even make sense. But this is a corrupted spirit?  
  
"But," she said, "How do we uncorrupt it? Or, get rid of it?"  
  
"I don't know; I am sorry."  
  
"We can't give up! For The Moon Kingdom and her Imperial Highness Neo- Queen Serenity Mashiro!" And Sailor Moon charged up an Attack with her scepter, aiming it at the Corrupted Dragon Spirit. "With the power of the moon, I banish the corruption in this Sacred Spirit!" The White energy smashed through the sky headed straight for the dragon.  
  
:: Sendo-ryuujinno, this frail magic is not worth your time:: came the woman's voice, :: Prove it to them. ::  
  
As the beam shot forward, the Dragon arched its neck and opened its mouth. Out came black flames, writhing hungrily toward the beam of light. They met in the middle of the sky and, for a moment, the dragon's flames and the beam of light seemed to be even, but the beam of light was quickly swallowed by the dragon's ghastly flames and all that was left of the energy was a rippling crack of lightening across the air.  
  
Sailor Moon was terrified. What would she do now?  
  
:: Now you see how small you power truly is you can never win. :: the woman smirked then turned to the dragon. :: Sendo, my creature, destroy them all.:: the creature crackled an acknowledgement and headed straight for Sailor Moon.  
  
A small ball of energy was thrown from afar at the creature as it was racing toward Sailor Moon. The light made a small explosion that was accompanied by a faint twinkling sound and an area of the buzzing and pulsating creature turned still and faded to a dull black. The black area cracked off like a flakes of ash or charcoal to reveal a substance akin to glass, the creature hissed and made violent motions at the abuser who had thrown the small light.  
  
This was her chance for a second try. While the creature was focused on another, she charged up another attack and aimed directly at the side of the dragon. The Sendo-ryuujino must have noticed the beam for it turned its head around to see what was being aimed at it but the beam made contact. The entire side of the dragon turned to ash and fell away, the large flakes fell to the ground and burned anything it made contact with, turning into black smoke then drifting away. The Dragon made a deep rumbling roar like a sonic boom and then it began to violently jerk out at horrifying angles. The dragon nearly hit the woman and so she vanished. The dragon continued it's jolting and began to fade as the woman had; but before it did its jaw unhinged from it's mouth and a giant gulp of siring flame left it's mouth to burn the landscape.  
  
Sailor Moon watched it come towards her but she could do nothing. It was coming towards her, ever closer...  
  
When the flame had almost engulfed her, a shining light flew up in a sphere around her. Though the ground shook and she could see the rippling of air and flame outside, the light was pleasantly cool and any debris that was kicked up by the blast was deflected. She looked behind her to see all those that had been involved in the fight with Illium using his sword as a focus to create the shield. It was easy to see he had to strain just to keep it from collapsing against the outside forces. As the burning calmed down they thought it to be over but Illium kept up the shield and there was a second booming sound, though it had no source, and a shockwave rolled across the ground and broke on there shield. Only after it had passed did Illium let his shield down. Then he sank to the ground trembling in exhaustion.  
  
It was devastating, even though the fight had taken place in the practice yard, which was almost a mile away from the main building; it had still caused considerable damage to it. All the greenery was dead and black, as was the ground and nearly every thing else for that matter. There were no longer any shadow creatures, either; they had burned along with everything else.  
  
They coughed from the smoke rising that was from the ground and despite the fact that the fire had dampened and gone, it was still viciously hot, the heat rising from the ground was as tangible as the smoke and the rippling made the illusion of water on the ground.  
  
They were alive, though, they'd all gotten through this. She collapsed on the ground next to Illium and the others followed suit. Something bothered her, however.  
  
"Who threw the orb of light?" she asked through panting and coughing, "was it you?" She asked Illium. He shook his head, she looked to the others, they shook there heads as well.  
  
"It was the Shvleidah." He said. They were all confused. "It was the councilor, Seraph. She threw it from over there." he pointed toward the main building; they all saw people rushing towards them, only a minute or so away. As the first person reached them, they saw it was Geoffrey. He gasped for air from running and coughed at the sudden inhale of smoke. He looked up at them.  
  
"Oh! Thank Serenity, you are all okay. We had thought the worst when we realized who was out here. But come, we have to get to the hospital wing as soon as possible." He said as he beckoned them to get up.  
  
"Why? What is wrong?" Minai asked.  
  
"It's Seraph. On the shockwave, she got slammed through a window and from forty-feet away and she's imbedded with shrapnel. The doctors said that if she could stay alive for the next hour or so they could probably save her but they can't know for sure..."  
  
Oh, no... 


	6. Mars's Battle Fire

Yep, back on track with SotNC. Sorry it took so long but 19 pages of Microsft word takes a long time to type and I also got stuck half way through >. It's chapter six, yay! I must say, It is quite annoying that indents don't show. I'm just not going to bother putting them up

Disclaimer: I don't own sailor moon but I do own just about every character that actually has lines in this story because I'm weird and the story only barely falls into the category of Sailor Moon. Any thing you recognize from the Sailor Moon Anime/Manga does not belong to me but instead, it belongs to Naoko Takeuchi (she is so cool.)

**Song of the New Cosmos**

**By LGR**

**Chapter Six: Mars's Battle Fire **

"I'm so glad Seraph is okay. Mashiro almost jumped on her when they let us in to see her." Selece said to no one in particular as the group ate next to each other in the dining hall. Since the last battle with the Sendo-ryuujinno, they'd all kind-of forged a group and now always ate at the same tables in the dining hall. The dinning halls in the palaces they'd been to so far had all been the same, except for the decorating and color schemes: A gigantically large, circular, room with a hugely domed ceiling. A raised, circular dais was in the middle upon which a person might come up to give an important announcement, or where special entertainment might be held; also there were hundreds of chairs and tables where people would sit and eat. Usually, more important people would sit nearest the platform and less important people would sit further away but it didn't really matter where you sat. The dining hall fed all the people in the palace as well as being a restaurant. If you were part of the palace staff, or a palace guest, you showed your palace clearance card and you got to order whatever you wanted within reason. Those without clearance cards had to pay for their food.

They were now on Mars and the décor was very lavish and beautiful. One side of the giant, domed hall was a red, cherry colored wood with many balconies on which there were more seats and gold inlayed moldings and draping, and hanging potted plants. On the other side was a giant glass ceiling and wall with which to see the beautiful scenery. The decorating was all red, black and gold with paintings and carvings of phoenixes and dragons. Here and there was a small platform with a few potted plants. All in all there was much light and beauty. Selece even noticed that the china had beautiful designs, despite its humble usage.

"She said I had to get her a present for saving our butts." Daemian complained. Minai rolled her eyes.

"She was just kidding." They'd had such a large group that they'd had to put two smaller tables together. Minai, Selece, Daemian, Terasu, Illium, Ristuko, the Twins, Tony and sometimes Geoffrey all ate together at every meal and it was getting to where everyone was thinking of them as a singular organism.

"Can I have your bread-stick?" Daemian begged Illium from across the Table.

"Sure." As Daemian dived at the bread-stick, Minai gasped.

"What is it, Minai?" Terasu asked worriedly from next to Illium. Minai had a stricken look.

"Illium said 'Sure'. We are corrupting his perfect vocabulary!" Minai raved humorously; there were some giggles throughout the table as Illium just shrugged. He was thinking of what the Shvleidah had told him when they had all gone in to see her at the makeshift hospital, (the old one being damaged beyond simple repairs).

He had gone to see her with Terasu because he'd felt grateful for her help in the fight and he'd wanted to say thank you and wish her healing. When the group was leaving she'd grabbed his arm and said she wanted to ask him something. He stayed and listened:

"Kid, Illium, The queen will not allow me to continue the procession until I am well. This being said, there is a good chance I will not be able to join back up with said procession by the time you all leave Mars. I want you to look for Sailor Mars for me."

He blinked.

"Don't give me that stupid act; I know you can see auras. Just keep a look out for her, and make sure she joins up with Terasu and the others. You don't have to go out looking for her; the scout's are somehow drawn to each other. Just stay with the girls and I'm sure she'll show up eventually. If for any reason, the procession leaves Mars without an attack and Sailor Mars is either not found or not awakened, talk to Mashiro and tell her I said either to keep a slot open for Mars representatives or to place the girl as a Mars rep. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Will you do this for me?"

"Yes, I will."

"Thanks. If you find her, you can call me and I will make sure that Mashiro knows the importance of placing this girl as a Mars Delegate." He nodded.

So he was just supposed to follow them around? That wasn't so hard considering he was around them every spare moment of his time, and wherever they went, they seemed to find an excuse to drag him along anyways. And Minai was right; his vocabulary was being corrupted…

Oh, Well.

---

Hiyano Hiakazuko practiced her archery in the far field of the palace. She pulled an arrow out of the quiver by her feat and placed it in the bow, pulled, aimed and let loose. The arrow flew with such force that the tip imbedded itself into the piece of particle board that she'd set up to practice with.

Damn, that was the third time she'd done that today. Her piece of wood would be more hole than anything, if she couldn't calm down and stop drawing the bow string too hard.

"What's with me today?" she said. She rubbed her head as she walked to the make-shift target she'd made, and attempted to wrench out the arrow without damaging the board, the arrow, or herself. In the end, the board was broken in half, as was her arrow, and her hands were covered in splinters.

"Okay! Fine! Break you damn thing! See if I shoot at you anytime soon, yah dumb piece of wood…" she grumbled and stalked away from her abandoned and destroyed bits of wood. She was in a horrible mood. She'd had a constant head-ache since she'd woken up this morning that just wouldn't go away. Water was not helping much, she finally took some pain killers and they weren't helping either. It was messing up her whole day.

She was in training to become a scribe and she hated it. Her parents had left her in the keeping of the Mars government, because they could not take care of her, when she was three. A child placed in the keeping of the government of any of the planets in the solar system, were taken care of, provided a home, and given an education. However, they did not have much of a choice in their future as to their profession.

The child's strengths and skills were evaluated and compared to their personality. A council of adults then places the child in a program that would educate them for a certain job. Unfortunately, all the jobs were government related, and if it was something artistic or unneeded in the palace, it was none-the-less unavailable for placement. Jobs such as architects, painters, poets, and creative and performing arts were not possible to obtain through the government programs.

And they said she had to be a historian. She liked history. She liked it a lot and she could remember every little detail and recite it perfectly, but…

She didn't want to be cooped up in a large library on Mars all the rest of her life, and teach little kids who didn't care what the hell she was talking about, or argue with idiots who thought they knew more than her about ancient relics. She didn't want to just read the words or copy the text, she wanted to be out there looking at the actual artifacts and living the culture and practicing the traditions. She wanted to write literature not an essay. All the modern times seemed so boring.

Hiaka walked dejectedly back to the main building. She slumped along the corridors of the ancient building, trudged up the flights of stairs, and drawled past the courtyards, until she came to a small building, just a hundred meters or so from the rest of the palace.

It was one of the many house/rooms off the side of the palace. They were medium sized houses with three to four rooms in each that housed the palace staff and children like her. This was her section and she had the largest room inside. She smiled at that. She was the senior in her section and so, got the biggest room and took charge of the younger inhabitants. She was also the head of the inhabitants in the other three houses that were right near hers. Her section had four houses that were placed so that they made a square with small gardens in between.

She was proud of the fact that she was in charge. She liked to be in control. She slid back the rice-paper screen, entered her room with a sigh. Hiaka put away her bow and fell onto her pallet. She might as well relax for awhile, she had to get to lessons in a half hour, and no one else was in the house. She was alone. How often it seemed that way to her…

Wait, wasn't this the day she had to sit in with her Master's Lecture and take notes? Damn. It was. And she didn't have any note taking supplies at all; she'd used the last of her paper in his last lecture; she'd have to go to the supply office and get some more and that was on the other side of the buildings.

Dang-it; this was not her day at all. She got up and began to make her way to the supply office.

---

It was true; he could read auras.

But he wasn't a miracle worker.

She'd told him to follow the scouts around, and that is just what she did. He could see their auras as bright as day. Minai's aura was a glittering, golden shine that played across his eyes, ever changing and recreating itself; Selece's was a white-blue glow that reminded him of one's breath on a cold day, swirling in connected patterns; And Terasu shined with a white and silver radiance like that of beams from the pure, white, moon of Earth. Occasionally he looked around at other people to see if any of them had anything unusual about there aura's, but nothing like the scouts aura could be found except for once, when he saw Mashiro from a distance.

They had been walking down a hall and seen Mashiro talking to the Queen of Mars at the end of the hall. Mashiro had a strong aura, even when compared to the scouts. Her aura was very similar to Terasu's in that the overall color and texture where similar, definitely that of the lunar energy, but Mashiro's was slightly and somewhat more characterized it seemed. While Terasu's aura seemed to shine of capabilities in multiple areas, Mashiro's seemed to be specialized for a particular task. Why was this so and how could there be two sailor moons? Especially when Mashiro did not transform and she already had a full aura such as the scouts gained after they transformed?

As he thought about it, he began to consider. Mashiro and Terasu, were both under lunar influence and were both guardians of the moon, however, Terasu's task was to protect and Mashiro's was to rule. There jobs were extremely similar and yet very different: Both required leadership and wisdom, yet different kinds of leadership existed for different situations and people.

He still didn't know how the aura could be explained, but that hardly mattered at the moment; there was nothing he could do to find out, either. He didn't know near enough about the solar system in general or it's people to really compare anything. It's not like he could go ask Mashiro, either. Oh, yes you're Highness; I was just wondering, could you please tell me how you got a lunar aura when you're not a scout?

What's she supposed to say to that? Most likely 'Take him away!' or something similarly profound such as that… It didn't matter really; maybe he ought to mention it to the Shv—

No, Seraph. Not Shvleidah.

Well, now he was walking behind the others, from the dining hall, and wondering how he managed to get all his school-work done, when he was constantly hanging out with them, when he felt something that made him go stalk still.

"What's wrong?" Terasu asked worriedly. She noticed that he had suddenly gone still and pale and he was looking in the direction of the supply building.

"There is…something…" he said with a slightly confused expression. Now everyone was wondering what was going on. When Illium said something weird was happening, then something weird was happening. "It's there, in that building." He pointed.

"Is there an attack?" Selece asked slightly suspiciously.

"No. It's not that. Nothing evil; but a disturbance, a difference"

"Maybe we should check it out?" Daemian advised.

"Yes, that might—," Illium suddenly stopped, mid-sentence.

A girl walked out of the building with a sheaf of paper under her arm, looking slightly disoriented. Her walking was unsteady and she winced every time she jostled or the light hit her eyes.

"What the…?" Daemian said confused as to what was going on.

But he didn't see what Illium saw. She was pulsing with a deep, red planetary aura. And the pulse was quickening. The girl made a retching motion, but kept her mouth closed.

"Are you okay?" Terasu called to the girl from where the group was gathered. "Would you like some help?" The girl looked up to Terasu but suddenly flinched and grabbed her head, leaning on the building wall for support.

"Oh my…" and Terasu rushed to give her aid, the others following with the same intensions but they all jumped back in fear as the side of the building exploded into flames and the girl's hand shot to her eyes and she let out a silent scream and collapsed, falling directly into the flames. People that were in the building began to pour out with screams of there own and coughs from the smoke. They all gasped when they noticed that, as the girl had collapsed, she'd fallen into the fire.

"We've got to get her out of there!" Selece screamed above the din of rushing people and the flaming, creaking building. Terasu jumped into the flames and ran to where the girl was lying on the ground. She heard the others yelling for her to stay back but she ran past the now flaming shrubbery and supply sheds to crouch on the ground beside her, lightly tapping her, she tried to see if the girl was still conscious. She opened her eyes and groaned as the others came to help them.

"Terasu! Are you mad? That place could blow up any minute!" Selece yelled frantically while the twin healer trainee's helped to carry the girl to a safer place.

"I'm more surprised that those trellises haven't fallen on us yet." Illium mused from his location behind Terasu. They did notice the trellis arches, lining the path they had just run down, had caught fire.

"We've got to get her away from this smoke and find a stretcher to bring her to the hospital area." Zackery said, carrying the girl. They got a safe distance away from the fire and set the girl on the ground.

"You know, you're not supposed to move a patient who has just collapsed." Zackery said, considering there actions. Daemian rolled his eyes.

"At least she's not fried."

"True."

"But, what I want to know is," Selece said sitting on the ground, "I want to know what started that fire." None of them could answer that question. Soon professionals came to handle the fire and medical personnel came to take the girl for treatment. As soon as they'd seen the ambulance move the girl, a gong rang in the distance and they all noticed they were late for their classes.

Daemian sighed. "See you guys later."

---

"Hello, you have reached the private line of Seraph Samphiahn. She is in the hospital at the moment, my name is Daphne and I am taking her calls. Please state you're name and purpose for calling and, if I am able to, I will take care of it. Otherwise you're message will be forwarded to her voice mail and she will look into it upon her return." said the lady on the other Holo-phone. He'd never used one before and this was a first for him. Projected onto a large square of glass, was the person at the other end of the line and her voice came out of an earpiece one put on their ear. He spoke into the small microphone attached to the earpiece.

"I am called Illium and Seraph asked me to report to her should I become aware of a definite presence."

The lady on the screen blinked. "Uhh…I will…ah, let her know that you've, ah…become aware, was it? Of a definite presence, and she'll get—," the lady turned to talk to someone off screen and then turned back, "One moment, please." she said and a screen came up that said PLEASE HOLD.

A few minutes later, the lady came back on the screen. "You are being forwarded to the hospital to talk to Seraph directly." The Lady disappeared again and another screen popped up, this time saying, YOU ARE NOW BEING FOREWARDED, ONE MOMENT PLEASE…. Illium was getting tired of these screens. A second later the screen disappeared and the screen showed Seraph sitting down in chair putting on the ear piece.

"You've found her?" she asked eagerly. In the background he heard people laughing.

"Yes."

"And you are sure?"

"Yes. She is Hiyano Hiakazuko, a scribe-in-training under the Mars Government; Age sixteen; black hair; burgundy eyes; five feet, three inches tall; current address: Mars hospital bay—,"

"Wait, hospital bay?" Seraph asked.

"I was with Terasu and the others, we saw an ill-seeming young woman. This young woman had a pulsating red aura associated with the planet Mars. The woman collapsed as a fire started in the building behind her. It is my belief that the young woman, Hiaka as she is called, unintentionally started the fire."

"So she is in the hospital for the illness or the fire?"

"Both, Ma'am but I believe she took no injury from her contact with the fire."

"Hey, Emmett, he called me 'Ma'am'." She said to a person off screen. She listened to the person speak (he could not here what the person said) and she became infuriated. "I am not an old lady!!" she reached for a something off screen to throw (it was a stuffed animal) and Illium vaguely heard the foot steps of someone running away. "That's it, Emmett! Run away, for I shall not tolerate your mocking comments!" another person began talking to Seraph and she became annoyed again while voices laughed. "Silence!" there was more laughing. She shook her heard and turned back to the screen. "I'll deal with them later. So you believe she started this fire? How?"

"I believe the energy she unknowingly used to create the fire was a manifestation of her scout power." She thought for a moment.

"So you don't think these are her personal energies, instead of scout power?"

"No."

"Hmmm. This is an unusual discovery. This Hiaka has used Scout energy while not in scout form. The question is, is this power particular to the Martian scout or may all the scouts use planetary energy outside transformation."

"If I may?" Illium asked slightly shy; The Councilor nodded for him to continue. "It is my belief that all the scouts may use the planetary energy outside transformation in a very limited form and based on their planetary element."

She nodded. "This makes sense. Thank you for the call, Illium. I will send a message to all of those involved: The Queen, the scouts and this Hiaka; if you do not wish to deliver this information yourself?" she asked politely but he sighed in relief.

"No, that is alright, a message will be fine." He said.

"Alright, Good bye."

"Goodbye." He said back as the screen when blank and the message ended. He sighed in relief. "At least that is over with." He said to himself.

---

"You beat me again, you always beat me!" Daemon cried inn frustration after a practice sword-match with Illium in which he had lost. "Can't you just let me win once?" he begged. Illium gave a slight chuckled and shook his head. "You're mean." Daemon said childishly. Illium sighed.

"Don't worry Illium," Minai said coyly from the sidelines of the practice courts. "Geoffrey told Selece and me that Seraph will likely be back before we leave in two days. That means that, pretty soon, Emmett, Vienna, Gennady and Yakumo will be here to beat on him or you!"

Daemon groaned. "I used to think I was really good but it turns out I'm not…" he said.

"The admittance to weakness is the first step to strength." Illium said, sounding rather wise.

"Yeah, Yeah, whatever." Daemian said in answer.

"Oh! And you know what?" Minai teasingly continued, "Seraph probably won't be aloud to duel but she does like to watch. And you know better than I do how excited she gets…" they all thought back to a practice fight that they'd seen between Emmett and Gennady in which Seraph was the watcher:

_"Get him! Get him! No! Not like that! You— OH! That was stupid! It was so obvious it—OH! Yes! Keep it going! Ye—NO! O—OH! IDIOT! IDIOT! That was—YES! Get him! Oh—Yes! NO!!NO!!! Don't do that! Do a—"_

"Your evil Minai…" Daemian moaned. Seraph was one of the most critical spectators in existence. Granted it was usually all 'constructive' criticism (the last match being an exception because Emmett had participated) but it still hurt. She was always twice as excited when Emmett was dueling…

"Hey!" they all turned from their thoughts see Terasu and Selece coming with a Dark haired girl behind them. Illium recognized her as Hiaka; Sailor Mars. "Hi guys! We'd like you all to meet Hiaka." Terasu said and introduced them. She'd gone down to the hospital area to check on her just as she was being released with a bill of health. Terasu had invited Hiaka to come with her to meat her friends. Not having anything better to do and somehow being drawn to say yes, she had agreed. They all said hello and Hiaka acknowledged them with a bow.

"Thank you all for saving me yesterday." She mumbled shyly.

"Oh, there's no need for bowing. You are quite welcome!" Terasu said to Hiaka. She turned to Daemian, Illium and Minai. "So, what are you all up to?" she asked.

"Daemian was just fencing with Illium again." Minai answered.

"They had an argument?" Hiaka asked shyly. Not sure why they would be fencing.

"Nah, just a practice match…And I lost…again…" Daemian whined.

"Daemian thinks he's something else with a sword but no one will fence with him any more because he beats all the others in his class so they've gotten tired of it and won't fence with him anymore. It's not that he's bad, it's just that Illium is so good." Selece clarified.

"Yep! Illium is the best in martial arts, athletics, fencing and weaponry things!" Minai agreed.

"I bet I could beat him."

Everyone blinked at what Hiaka had said without thinking. Oh, now she was in for it, she thought. "I meant, uh, I bet I could beat him in archery." She explained. She was always doing that, speaking before thinking. She tried her best to catch herself but she often forgot.

"Do you guys even do archery?" Terasu inquired of Illium, interested.

"Yes, sometimes." he answered.

"How good were you?" Daemian asked, looking hopeful.

"I considered myself competent." Daemian sighed in despair.

"That's just his polite way of saying he slaughtered everyone." He translated.

"Wow! You're good at Archery, Hiaka?" Minai asked. "Is it hard?"

Hiaka shrugged. "It's not hard for me." She stated. All at once they jumped on her and Illium, demanding a contest. Not really knowing what to say, she just found herself being drug along by her new acquaintances. Now she was in for it. It would be just her luck if he turned out to be a master Archer or something and totally destroyed her. Her big mouth. And on top of that, she noticed her head ache was coming back!

As it turned out they were about even. Hiaka won, her last volley of arrows being slightly closer to the middle of the ring than Illium's last volley. Putting down the Bows they'd been using, Illium and Hiaka shook hands sportsmanly and the others jumped on them to try their skill at archery. Selece was having and awful time just trying to gripping her Arrow in the right way so the feathers didn't hit the handle of the bow as it was released. Minai had never used a bow either and was trying to hold it still enough to get in a good shot. Terasu was about average, as was Daemon and they stopped after a couple shots when Hiaka started to give the others lessons.

"Ahhh!" Minai cried out, as she flung up her hands as she dropped the bow. "It won't even land on the edge of the ring! It flung off somewhere…" she said getting frustrated. "How do you hold it so straight, Hiaka?" she inquired.

"It just takes practice, strength in the wrist and shoulder muscles, but mostly practice." She stated with a nod.

"It doesn't really help that Minai is so impatient about everything either…" Daemian slipped in quietly but Minai heard and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh yeah?! Well you're not so patient yourself, considering Illium beats you within five seconds of starting a match!" she flung back.

"What does that have to do with anything!?" Daemian stuck his tongue out as well and a vicious tongue rivalry ensued as Selece and Terasu tried to break it up. Hiaka blinked stupidly at the mob developing before her.

"Is this sort of thing normal?" she asked Illium, who was sitting down on the grass of the archery practice field near her.

"My opinion would be that it is not a daily practice." He answered. "But it occurs more frequently then one might come to expect."

"…"

"It happens occasionally."

"Gotcha."

Finally, Terasu and Selece got Daemon and Minai to calm down and stop sticking their tongues out at each other and they came to sit down as well and they started a conversation.

"So Hiaka, you live in the palace?" Terasu asked her.

"Sort of, I live in one of the housing sections on the palace grounds, not in the main building." She answered.

"Is it fun?" Minai asked. Hiaka shrugged.

"Sometimes." She wasn't in a talkative mood right now as her head ache had just gotten worse all of a sudden.

"Are you sure you're better yet so soon after the fire? I wonder how that fire started before, you're lucky you weren't killed." Selece said changing the subject seeing as Hiaka wasn't really interested in talking their other choice of conversation.

"I don't know, I was really out of it. I had a huge migraine" Hiaka said. "Strangely I felt better after the fire, not worse, but I've been having a problem with head aches lately."

"Really? You don't have one now, do you?" Daemon asked.

"Yeah, but it's not so bad."

"Maybe you're dehydrating, have you tried drinking more water?" Selece suggested.

"Yeah, it doesn't work. And neither does medicine." Hiaka said sighing. They all began conversing on what they could do to help her. Hiaka tried not to let anyone see that just the wan light from the far away sun was sending splitting pain into her head.

"I bet it's this weird, red sky." Daemon stated. "I mean, I'm not surprised that we don't all fall down with head aches right here." Selece rolled her eyes.

"It's the same kind of field nearly all the planets have to help control atmospheric conditions, weather and climate. Our planet, Mercury, has a light, bluish-periwinkle sky." She said.

"Mine, Venus's, is Orangey!" Minai said proudly. Venetians were very patriotic about their Planet.

"Are you all from different planets?" she asked.

"Illium and I are from The Moon." Terasu said. Hiaka noticed all the others blinking slightly, as if in confusion or surprise, but then they all shrugged as if accepting it. "Were, all representatives." Terasu continued.

"Oh." Hiaka felt a little self conscious, they must all be important people, she thought. All at once her head-ache became more than she could bare and she actually began crying as she held her head and rocked in a fetal position on the grass. In her state of extreme pain, she didn't notice what the other had.

Right after they had seen her fall to the grass, a Flash of light spread across the sky around them and the Female Darkness being appeared.

**:: I am afraid Sendo-ryuujinno could not join us today because of the damage you have down to him. But do not worry, there is still much fun to be had.::**

Minai, Selece and Terasu tried to transform as Daemian and Illium took up positions to protect the incapacitated Hiaka.

"Hurry up! What's taking you guys?" Daemian said after a moment of not seeing anything happen. "She's not going to stand there forever! Why aren't you transforming?"

"We can't!" Terasu said with a look of horror upon her face.

"What did you do!?" Selece demanded of the woman with a similar expression.

**::You can not call upon the elemental forces of the planets to transform you while you are within my circle of influence. And don't bother trying to get out, you would need to go very far indeed, and by then, the Shadows will have consumed you.::** All at once the Universe exploded, forming a rip, and Shadow beasts began to pour out.

**::This time, you cannot escape.::**

"No, no, no, no, no!" Hiaka mumbled in her state of confusion and pain as the shadow beasts began to rush them. Illium cast magical shield around them, but every time a shadow beast flung himself at it, the shield grew weaker. It was very clear that it would fail eventually.

**::You cannot protect yourself forever.::** the female being said to them in her strange mental speech. **:: And, just so you know "Illium". As you have taken a name, so I have been given own by our master. I now hold the name Umbra.::**

Illium made no move to show that he had heard. Instead he went to Hiaka now sweating in pain as the others readied what weapons they had with them, for when the shield failed.

"Hiaka," he said. "I know it was you who started that fire."

"No, NO!" she cried not wanting to believe.

"Yes. No one blames you for the fire. You did not mean it to happen and it is unlikely that it could have been prevented. You must use this power to help us all, now. You are a Sailor Scout. Your patron planet is Mars: ruler of the Battle Fire." All of those present could no longer resist eves-dropping and at this they were both surprised at the girl's identity and at Illium's knowledge.

"I can't do it! I don't know what to do!" Hiaka exclaimed her splitting pain growing worse by the second.

"Are not taught meditation exercises? Breathe slowly. This pain, it is fire; A separate entity from yourself. You must know it is so. Build a wall around the fire, confining it." He said. She continued to breathe heavily but it began to take on a more rhythmic pattern, becoming more even.

Daemian and Minai watched Illium and Hiaka, not really knowing what else to do, and feeling utterly useless. Selece was keeping half her mind on the strength of the shield and the other half on what they would do when it broke while Terasu was silently pleading to the planet Mars to lend its ward strength and peace. All were very near to panic.

They all sensed the confusion Umbra was having, as to what was going on inside the shield, and her frustration at waiting. **::Shadows! Take-That-SHIELD! NOW!::** Suddenly the shadow beasts gain a new vigor, and redoubled their efforts at breaking the shield. Great, audible thumps could be heard from inside the field. Just as Hiaka seemed to be gaining progress, her breathing hitched as she heard a particularly loud thump and a slight shattering sound as the shield began to break, slightly, and a crack showed upon the opalescent colored hemisphere.

"I can't do it! I CAN'T!" she cried out once more, tears streaming down her flush face.

"If you don't who will? Hiaka! Please!" Terasu said and flung herself down on the ground next to her and Illium, putting a hand on each of her shoulders and looking her straight in the face with ear-marked eyes of her own. "We can't destroy us now! They would annihilate everything, everyone that we have come to love! Please try again, Hiaka…please…" she asked her pleadingly. "You're not alone, we'll help you!"

**::Help her? Nothing can help her now, nor any of you.::**

Hiaka's face blanched.

"Don't listen to her! You can do it! I KNOW that you can do it! We'll help you!"

Hiaka was slightly taken aback. She could tell that she meant it. A girl she'd met not an hour ago was speaking to her in such an accepting way. She'd saved Hiaka, running into a fire, urging her fellows to do so as well. Going to the hospital, to see if she was alright and inviting her into her circle of friends without a thought.

And this Boy, Illium, speaking so calmly to her, walking her through the steps to control this power raging on in her head. It was dangerous to be even near her! He'd said he'd known that she was the origin of the fire, and he had said nothing, done nothing that could be remotely construed as being threatening or even fearful. Surely she could try for them?

Illium seemed to sense that she had agreed to try once more. Terasu held her hand as she closed her eyes. "Breathe slowly. Separate the fire from yourself. It is not you, it cannot harm you…"

"How do I separate it? There's nothing between it and me."

"This is true. You must make this separation. Here, I will show you." And within her minds eye, she _felt_ and _saw_ an opalescent "spirit hand" take another of flickering flame that she found must be her own. She _saw_ him invite her into his mind to show her what he had meant.

There was a bright white light, and around it was a sort of veil with a string of the opalescent light running from it to what she guessed must be the shield. Unlike her own fire, it was not hot and burning, but it was insanely bright, even with the veil.

_:: Do you see how I strengthen my veil? ::_

And she sort of _saw_ the opalescent figure hardening the veil, making it more solid. She made an assent.

_:: Now you try. ::_

And she did. Such a veil would not work for hers; however, it was hot, not bright. She crafted a sort of lantern, to contain her flame. Immediately, her pain stopped.

_:: Very good. Now draw some of your fire out and place it where you wish it to be. :: _

Draw it out? How do you draw out fire? Then she got an idea. She imagined a match, and placed it inside her lantern, where it would catch. Drawing it out, the match was lit on one end. She felt herself smile with elation.

---

Selece didn't know what they were doing, but what ever it was, it had better happen fast or they were done-for. Every smash at the shield cast it to splinter, frankly, she was surprised at how long it had lasted; it was a testament to Illium's own magical strength and skill that it had stood up to the battering it was getting for more then thirty seconds, but it had been more then five minutes since Hiaka had entered into a trance and the shield was about to break-down. Each second that transpired, another crack appeared in the barrier, another splinter shot off from the dome.

Her, Daemian and Minai were sweating bullets. They had just now, in desperation, tried to transform once more but to no avail. Without the scout's ability to transform, they would be slaughtered.

::At last.:: Umbra said within their minds as the barrier faltered and the shadow beasts rushed them. But just as the shadow beasts were about to crash upon them, the Shadow women Umbra let forth a terrible scream that shook the earth. They looked to see that she had suddenly burst into flames. The scouts recognized that the stifling feeling they had not before realized was there, had disappeared. They seized the chance and said the incantation to call upon the energy of their planets.

---

Hiaka opened her eyes. She had done it! The dark woman who'd called herself Umbra was now writhing in flames but Hiaka was startled to find her friends Minai, Selece and Terasu gone and in their places were the Sailor Scouts of legend. Her friends had been the sailor scouts all along. The woman finally got the flames to stop but she looked gruesome, parts of her skin flaking off like ash and turning to dust as they touched the ground. But Hiaka was even more shocked to see pale, alabaster skin underneath, as if the fire had burned away a covering. Hiaka was oblivious to the fighting and magic her friends were doing to protect her from the shadows as she saw the woman glare at her with a murderous twitch to her eyes.

The universe was rocked and more shadows poured out of rips in space.

She knew her friends couldn't stand up to this. From her lips came an incantation and she was filled with a burning energy ten times the power of the little flame inside her head.

_What is this? Has this been here, all along?_ She asked the flame. Out of the fire, a woman came into focus, a woman that looked remarkably like her but she wore a sailor outfit of with a shimmering, Garnet red skirt covered with a sheer gold layer and a Royal Purple bow was on her chest and the back of her waist. A garnet choker on her neck, bore the symbol of mars in gold which, she saw, was also on the front bow. From her back came a shear, thick, pleated ribbons of gold. In one hand she held a red and gold Bow with a bow-string of gold. In the other was a red mallet with gold inlays. Behind her stood a huge gold gong, with the symbol of Mars inlayed within the metal.

_I am Sailor Mars, the passionate flame burning within you, and the fourth hope. Mars had seen your fiery determination and spirit and bestowed upon you the power of the Planet Mars. You have been given the Battle Fire to help save the Cosmos._

_I have? How do I use it? What must I do!?_ Hiaka asked desperately.

_The Power is within you, you have but to follow your spirit and trust yourself. Use the battle fire of your Patron planet, and the sweeping founds of the Great gong, to drive out the darkness with the light of your fire. Do you accept this power?_

_Yes._

---

Sailor Venus took on a look of dread as more shadows came forth from the tear; Hundreds, thousands. She tried to begin a song-spell with her Tambourine, but no sooner would she begin, then a shadow would jump her and she would be fighting for her life. None of them could begin a song-spell that could even begin to help them right now. And Sailor Venus could see that what little magic Daemian had possessed was about to run out and he'd be exhausted and have only his sword to defend him. Illium was in a similar state, much of his magic having been drained with the shield. However, he was still miraculously able to use magic, and he fought tirelessly guarding Daemian's back. Sailor Venus had been forced to go back to back with the other scouts, Iliium and Daemian because her chains could protect her from enemies on all sides. It seemed like their weapons just weren't strong enough. They didn't do the damage they needed to get the shadow beasts out of their hair for five seconds or at least long enough for Sailor Venus to use a spell. But even if she could, she wouldn't be able to reach so many shadows all at once, it just wasn't that powerful.

"Take this!"

A burning arrow turned everything in its path to ashes as it shot past. She turned and there stood Hiaka in a Sailor Suit. "Heyah, Sailor Mars! Are we glad to see you!" she said with relief. The havoc that the Arrow had caused had given them a bit of breathing room.

"Quickly, Venus, play your song!" Mars told her.

"But it's not—" she began but was cut-off when Mars interrupted with a thumbs up.

"Leave that to me!" Venus nodded accent and dropped her golden chain of heart and her Tambourine appeared in her hand.

"Okay! Listen up all you shadows! This is the Repeat Rhythm!" and Venus cheerfully began to pound out a catchy Rhythm with her tambourine. "Now! Mooooove— and repeat! Moooooove— and repeat!" The beasts began to repeat the last action they had done. "Keep it up! Your doin' great!"

The scouts, and Illium, Daemian's absence due to the fact he was almost ready to pass out from exhaustion, began to hack away at the shadows who were stupidly repeating the same thing over and over, not being able to do anything else. Mercury swing her fan in an arc and eliminated many shadows as Moon swung her moon beam in an semi-circle, rendering even more to ash but those on the outskirts of Venus's small circle of influence were un affected by the song and rushed towards them.

They heard the sound of a great, metal gong and they turned to see Mars beating a mallet against the thin air that flashed into the image of a great gong as it reached a certain point. The Sound seemed to bounce off the sky and echo across the earth, rippling through the all ready commencing spell of the Tambourine.

Venus felt her circle expand to incorporate those Shadows who before had been out of reach. Moon and Mercury felt their weapons invigorated and all of a sudden they were taking out twice the shadows they were before.

"Yes! We just might get through this!" Sailor Moon told them all absently as she took out another dozen shadows at once.

**:: NO! This ends NOW! ::** Umbra appeared in the sky and sent double Levin bolts towards Venus and Sailor Mars. Working their spells, they were unable to protect themselves for fear of breaking them. Mars braced for the blast.

But before it could hit, a force field similar to the one that had been cast by Illium appeared in its way and took the energy. She looked to about five companies of the Mars military and an important-looking woman on the edge of the practice field with a cane with a man in a Moon Guard officer's uniform and a few other moon guard member's standing next to her.

"Good work, Daisuke." The officer said.

"Thanks, Captain." One of the other Moon guard members replied.

Sailor Mars took her chance and dropped the mallet, pulling the bow from out of no where. She pulled back the string on her bow and a fire arrow appeared. She aimed and let it loose upon Umbra who screamed. The military came to help the other scouts take care of the remaining shadows while the Man called Daisuke helped Mars in attacking Umbra who, unable to take the constant barrage, disappeared.

Mars sighed in relief and looked around to see that all the shadow beasts were gone as well. She saw that the others had de-transformed and Mars did the same, reverting back to Hiaka as the woman and the five or six guards came over to her. The woman, whom she had thought must be old, as she was walking with some difficulty, turned out to be fairly young, late teens or early twenties she'd guess.

"Hiaka, Sailor Mars. The members of the Lunar Government are happy to welcome you as a representative for you planet. I look forward to seeing you on progress." She said.

Hiaka blinked.

"Who are you? How do you—?" she blurted.

" Seraph! You're back early!" She heard Terasu call as she ran to join them.

Seraph? Oh man, this was the Chief councilor; the one that ate people for breakfast. Or so she'd been told by Minai.

"Yes, I am back early, in large part due to this…occurrence." She said evasively as she glanced at her male companion. Hiaka had no idea what that was supposed to mean. But how did Seraph know her name?

Before she could ask, the Councilor turned with surprising swiftness and walked up to Illium, who seemed just as dumbfounded as Hiaka felt.

"Here," and she handed him two envelopes, a security card and a Military Rank badges. "Now get yourself up to the Palace and get your new uniform. You're no longer a trainee. We expect to see you in Council tomorrow. Make sure you read those letters. Minai and Selece, help Daemian to the Hospital Bay, I've seen month-old radishes that look better than him and they were rotten. The rest of you might want to check yourselves up there later as well. Terasu, go help Hiaka get packed, we'll be leaving on progress tomorrow."

And then she left.


	7. Jupiter: Ganymede part 1

Chapter seven, wow.

Well, you know the drill. I don't own Sailor Moon, and I don't own the planets, either. I just realized I never put that in. I also don't own the moons. Wish I did.

I'm just warning you guys. This Jupiter part is going to be long, probably more than two chapters. I'd say three at least. This chapter is mostly focused on character development, (there isn't a battle in this one), but I think it's still exciting, either way.

**:: :: Mind-speech**

**Song of the New Cosmos**

**By LGR**

**Chapter Seven: Jupiter-Ganymede part 1: Discord and Harmony**

"Silence!" the Chief Councilor called to the council from next to Illium. Of the letters he had been given, one stated that he was no longer a cadet-trainee and now had the rank of 2nd lieutenant and a Commission as The Representative of the Sailor Scouts. The other, was the formal invitation to council. His head was still buzzing. Of course some of that might have been from the awful noise of the arguing council. "The Queen wishes to speak!"

"—But the Queen MUST stop the progress! She—!" babbled a council member; the representative of one of Jupiter's inhabited moons.

"I SAID SILENCE!" Seraph repeated. The council member slouched back in his chair, not a little taken aback. "Neo-Queen Serenity Mashiro wishes to speak."

"If your worry is for my safety, then I assure you I am in the best of hands on the progress. If it is for the safety of your planets, then I am sorry, but I must stop on all inhabited soil. Not only is it tradition, it is necessary. All the Sailor Scouts must be accounted for before this progress may return to the Moon Kingdom."

"While we are on the topic of the sailor scouts, I would like to ask why our own governments couldn't just look for them." The Mercury representative asked.

Mashiro looked to him. His breathing hitched, he was so nervous. "Would you please answer this question for us Scout Representative?"

He swallowed and began his explanation. "The Scouts are drawn to each other. It would be impractical for others to try to search for the Scouts; they would need to check every female on the planet. Furthermore, there is no way to identify the Sailor Scout until she has come in contact with another scout and the planetary energy is triggered within them. Once this has happened, an aura reader may recognize a Scout, but this is not a common talent."

"There you have it Representative, not only is it impractical, it's next to impossible." Mashiro said.

"So says him, but how do _we_ know any of this?" someone said.

"This I have also witnessed." Seraph told them. "You may put me to a truth-test if you do not believe me. I give permission."

"That will not be necessary." Mashiro said as the others seemed to change their minds as well. Whatever Seraph was, she wasn't a liar and none of them seemed too willing to be humiliated when everything turned out to be true.

"So why don't we send the scouts off to separate planets to search faster for their fellow soldiers?" another council member asked. Thankfully someone else answered before Illium was asked too.

"Oh yeah, and let those shadows get them alone. Great Idea." Someone said sarcastically.

"Then send them off together."

"That's what we've been doing." Seraph told the council slightly sardonically.

"I don't understand why this is an issue." Mashiro informed them. "The progress must persist to gain confirmation of the systems allegiance to the Moon Queen. This is essential for the Imperium Silver Crystal. The progress must go on. The scout search must go on. It is practical and logical that they continue, together."

"But you were ready to stop the progress for My Lady—" the mercury representative started.

"I was ready to postpone the progress. Now that it has begun, it must continue, it may not be halted." Mashiro explained. "I believe that there is nothing more to be said here. The council is dismissed." Mashiro turned and walked out with Seraph and Illium trailing her.

---

"I don't get it." Minai groaned. Hiaka was trying to teach the others how to work whatever magic they possessed as the chosen of their planets. Illium had supposedly checked them all and deemed that they did have the aptitude for magic. He'd been unable to explain anything else for, after he'd said so, Seraph had marched in and confiscated him for a Council Meeting. Illium stammered that he'd be back and that Hiaka should try to help them as best she could.

It wasn't going very well, though.

They'd set themselves up in one of the gardens in Jupiter's Capital building on Ganymede while Hiaka tried to teach them the way Illium had taught her. Minai had no idea what was going on; Selece kept protesting that she couldn't do magic; she'd been checked. Terasu was at least trying, but she wasn't getting anywhere: Hiaka wanted to scream. Did she mention that this was getting them nowhere?

"I can't do magic! I know I can't! I've been checked! Twice!" Selece objected.

"And you were just checked again, and been told you can! So there!" Hiaka explained if slightly louder and more forceful than necessary. She sighed to cool her temper. "Okay, let's just…ah…pretend, that you have magic and see what happens, okay?"

"But…but…I can't. _Pretending_ its real doesn't _make_ it real!"

"Ughh! I give up! Let's just wait until Illium comes back." Hiaka said in disgust, then, hearing footsteps she brightened. "That must be him, Thank Mars! This is work, and I'm not even doing anything!" but to her dismay, it wasn't Illium, but someone she didn't know.

"Hey, guys. Is Illium around?" the youth said.

"Sorry Geoffrey." Terasu said. "Seraph hauled him off to a Council meeting a couple of hours ago and we haven't seen him since. He said he'd come by afterwards, though."

"Alright then, the meeting got out a few minutes ago, I'll just wait here." And he took a seat in one of the wicker chairs, along with them, under the covered veranda of mosaic tiles.

"What did you need him for?" she blurted then hastily added. "If you don't mind telling us, that is?" He shrugged.

"I don't mind. I just wanted to ask him to translate this for me." He held up a photocopy of what looked like etchings in a pain of glass. "I finally got a copy of those ancient texts in Primal Aurelic."

"Why would he be able to do that? Isn't Primal Aurelic a lost language?" she answered. Geoffey blinked and everyone else mentally smacked themselves in the head while Hiaka tried to figure out what this could mean.

"We never told you, I forgot." Terasu said then began to explain how Illium had come over to their side and was once a shadow being such as the woman Umbra.

Hiaka sat blinking. "No way…Illium? Heck no! I'm not sure I believe that. But anyways, what does that have to do with Primal Aurelic? How does he know it?"

"It was his primary language. He couldn't write in our language for a while there, he had to take classes. He could speak ours perfectly fine, but he didn't have a clue how to write it, and he had trouble reading it." Geoffrey explained. "We asked him to write something and he wrote in Primal Aurelic. That's how we found out."

"Is there _anything_ Illium can't do?" Hiaka said in a slightly complaining tone. It just wasn't natural for someone to be as good at everything as he seemed to be.

"He's an awful speller. And he has terrible trouble with slang terms." Geoffrey said.

"Oh, yeah. _That's_ a great weakness."

"He's scared of Seraph; sort of." Minai said groping for something Illium was bad at.

"He's less scared of her than anyone I know, and any decent person would have a healthy fear of her yelling at them." Selece said, rendering that argument void. Thoughtfully, she added "I don't see why she and Mashiro are such good friends."

"Yeah, Mashiro seems to think Seraph is easy-going. I don't know about you, but I'm not seeing it." Hiaka agreed.

"I'm sure she's easy going when she doesn't have to yell at anyone." Minai provided. Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Seraph's known her since a year after Mashiro was born, if they weren't reconciled by now, I'd say that wasn't a very good show of either of their characters." Terasu explained.

"So she doesn't like us because she doesn't know us?" Selece asked, not really getting the point. Minai sighed in exasperation.

"It's not that she doesn't like us but …I think she doesn't know what to do with us, so she tries to do nothing and she kind of comes-off as a stiff." Minai said.

"I wonder why?" Hiaka said sarcastically, thinking of when they'd first met and Seraph just told her she was a representative and walked off.

Selece, guessing what she was thinking, turned to Hiaka and said, "She did it to me too, but at least the Guard were laughing at her, so it wasn't so nerve-racking."

"Nerve-racking? I don't believe I know that word." Came voice behind them and they whirled around to see Illium in his new uniform. Minai winked.

"Lookin' fresh there Illium!" she said with a giggle. Both Illium and Terasu looked confused.

"Nerve-racking is a synonym for stressful. And fresh is uhh…I'm not sure how to explain it." Selece tried to translate.

"Basically she means you look Hot, or Cool, or whatever. It's not meant to be taken literally." Hiaka said.

"…uh, thank you?" he stammered and then sneezed.

"Are you feeling alright? You look a little pale." Terasu asked, concerned.

"I will be alright." He answered rubbing his nose and eyes.

"Can you translate this for me?" Geoffrey said from across the patio at the same time as Hiaka asked "Will you help me teach them magic?"

Illium sighed.

---

Laureli Misao Sanrinno looked over the flower beds of Jupiter's capital building on Ganymede. She was the head landscape designer and it was she who oversaw all the plants and outdoor accessories that went into the outside of the building. She looked over the state of the plants, and noticed that some didn't seem like they were getting enough water and others had too much. She made note to tell some of her workers to change the irrigation systems as she planned designs for the next growing season.

Looking up to the artificially colored Emerald sky, the giant image of Jupiter covered half of the visible sky while the outlines of some of the other moons could also be seen here and there. Even with the view so wondrous, she wasn't paying it any mind, she was looking at the storm clouds coming over the horizon. It was going to rain, and lots, lightening as well. Even with the artificial weather and atmosphere controller the weather was uncontrollable and unpredictable due to the great affect of Jupiter's gravity, though with the advances in technology and magic, most of the weather was pretty mild.

"Is there going to be a storm, Miss Laureli?" said a voice from below her. Laureli looked down to see a small girl with mousy-brown hair and grey eyes looking back with a smile.

"Yep, Rena, there's going to be a storm. It'll probably start raining in a couple of minutes, you better get inside." She told the girl. Rena was the younger child of the prince of Jupiter and about six years old. She often came to see Laureli when she was planting or looking at the Garden. The girl had a green thumb and liked to play in the dirt, much to her father's frustration. She often ended up completely unrecognizable from all the mud. "Come on, we'll go together."

"Okay."

---

After Illium agreed to translate the photocopy of the Primal Aurelic script later, Geoffrey thanked him and left. Sighing again, Illium turned to the task of trying to teach the scouts how to use their magic.

"But I don't _have_ magic. I already told Hiaka. I've been checked." Selece kept telling him. This was horribly frustrating. He turned to Hiaka.

"Don't look at me. I've already tried." she objected before he could say anything. Illium sneezed again. He wanted to crawl into his bed and snooze for a week. He hadn't been able to get much sleep lately because of all the stuff he'd been doing: going to council meetings, helping the scouts, fencing with Daemian, keeping a look out for Sailor Jupiter and every so often he would be summoned to be questioned about his theories on the Sailors or his knowledge of the Shadow beings and Necrosis. Needless to say, he was tired and probably getting sick.

He'd been hoping that Hiaka could help him teach the other scouts but it looked like it wasn't working out too well. He would have to do it by himself.

It also looked like Selece wasn't even going to give him a chance unless he could come up with a reason as to why her magic was missed.

"I suspect that the magic of you and the other scouts have is elemental to your planet's natures and therefore it would be hard to detect as most magic isn't so very concentrated. Also, such powers are extremely unusual so I wouldn't be surprised if whoever checked you hadn't been checking for it." He explained, barely keeping his exasperation from his voice.

"But—!"

"No 'but's." he said firmly. "If you will not believe me, Seraph said that she would come down to help me with this if I need it. You can ask her if you do not believe me." He hated using Seraph as leverage against the scout, but it was for their own good. He wasn't lying either; Seraph had volunteered her help if he needed it.

Selece looked doubtful but he heard no more protests about her not having magic.

"Selece." He said. "What I see of your magic, is Ice. The combination of Water and Temperature: both of these are at your command. Now, close you eyes."

"This isn't going work…" she said.

"Just close your eyes." He said a little frustration coming into his tone. From his place next to Selece he saw Minai wince at his tone. He realized that none of them had ever seen him mad. Selece closed her eyes with a sigh.

"Now imagine the form your magic will take…"

"How should I know what form it'll take?" she said opening her eyes again.

"What do you see your magic as being?"

"Well that's easy, I don't see it as existing at all." She stated. Illium gave her a dark look.

"Will you at the least _try_, Selece." He said sounding overly forceful, as if he was holding back from shouting.

"I _am_ trying." Selece protested, sounding a little angry herself.

"_No_, you're _not_." he barked at her.

Everyone went quiet and looked at him. Seeing how unnerved they were, he sighed and got up. "I'm going to take a nap, I'll be back later." He said and trotted off to his room.

"Way-to-go, Selece." Hiaka said sourly.

"It's wasn't my fault."

"Selece, did you see how close he was to yelling at you? I've never seen him yell, at anyone, for anything. Even before…" Terasu whispered.

"You could at least have been a little more cooperative." Hiaka suggested.

"But—."

"And don't give us that shit about not having magic." Hiaka said acidly. "You do magic as a scout, and don't say that that's any different, because it's not."

"Guys…Don't fight…" Minai begged quietly from the sidelines.

"Easy for you to say." Selece shot back at Hiaka. You already know how to do it. You haven't lived your whole life not knowing any magic, and knowing for a fact that you would _never_ know any magic." They were on their feet know and looked ready to leap at each other and grapple at their thoughts.

"What is going on?!" They all jumped and turned to the edge of the patio to see Seraph standing there with a look that could melt steel. "What is the meaning of this?! Fighting? We don't even need the Necrosis to come and kill us, we'll do it ourselves." She said scathingly.

"We—."

"I don't want to hear about it; just stop. Where is Illium? He said he'd be here."

"He went to bed." Minai answered in a hushed voice.

"Good, I came to haul his ass off to bed. He can't have gotten more than five hours of sleep in the past few days, and I saw him sneezing earlier. Well then, I hope next time we meet, it will be on a happier note." And she left, just as a rolling of thunder was heard, and it began to rain.

---

By the time Illium had trudged to his room, (which was on the other side of the building and outdoors the whole way, almost a fifteen minute scuffle with all the people rushing to get to the City to eat out for lunch), he was thoroughly soaked, shivering, and most definitely ill.

Shaking, he changed into dry clothes and fell onto his bed face-forward and didn't bother to move for almost five minutes, when he realized he was still cold. He got up, went to the room's closet, pulled out a blanket, and returned to the bed.

After a few minutes he could feel the temperature under the blanket become warm, he could even feel that his skin was warm, but he still felt frigid and week. He didn't know what he had. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been sick; not since before he was taken by necrosis, surly. Maybe he should go to the infirmary?

There came a knocking at the door.

He got up, still shivering, and opened it to find Seraph there looking back. She didn't say anything, just put the back of her hand to his forehead and said, "As I suspected." Then ordered him to bed and left, saying she'd be back in a few minutes. He got back into bed and stared at the ceiling until she got back.

"Here." She said and gave him a spoonful of something. He almost spit it out. "Yeah, it's definitely not the best tasting stuff in the Universe. That'll probably knock you out for a few hours. Drink this as well." And she held up a cup of orange liquid with ice. "Don't worry, it's only fruit juice, you don't want to get dehydrated. Drink as much as you can until the medicine kicks in, you'll probably be asleep for a couple of hours. The Vitamins will help with your immune-system." She said as she took picked up the vile syrup, leaving the fruit juice.

"Don't worry about the scouts, I'll tell them you're sick."

"Where's Emmett?" he said randomly; the medicine was already making him loopy. Emmett's absence was very surprising, not only was Seraph and he friends, and one of the few people she could stand to be around for more than five minutes, but he was her body-guard and, Illium suspected, her chaperon, to keep her out of trouble.

"Eh! The fool went scrying when he was still plastered from just a few moments before and he got back-lash sickness. He's three-times as out of it as you are and he hasn't taken any medicine. Visions tend to make him ill."

Scrying? What? Was Emmett a seer? He hadn't know that.

Of course none of this was all too surprising to him; given his current state of consciousness. He had only a surface idea what was going on and what she said barely registered at all. He had just enough energy to store the information for later examination before he was dead to the world.

---

Selece felt awful. Seraph had come by earlier saying that Illium was sick and probably wouldn't be able to come to the meeting that afternoon. Now, they were sitting with their usual friends, plus Hiaka, for Lunch and she couldn't eat a bite. She wasn't ill, but she felt horrible for treating him that way. He'd been trying to help and she'd practically told him he was an idiot and didn't know what he was talking about.

She sighed and continued to stare at her food.

And Hiaka kept shooting scolding glances at her from across the table when conversation ran thin. Selece suspected that Hiaka felt loyalty to Illium for helping her during the fight with her powers; this, she guessed made her feel angry at Selece for being that way towards him.

She'd have thought it would be Terasu who'd feel that way. They were pretty close; or closer than he was to Hiaka, anyways. But Terasu didn't seem angry at her at all, just sad. When Daemian had asked her what was wrong, she'd just said she was worried that Illium might be really sick and wondered if it would be inappropriate to go visit him.

It just showed Selece how little she knew about other people's feelings. She just didn't understand what she couldn't measure or what she didn't know as fact.

That's what got her into this mess in the first place.

You can't measure magic, its whole existence was an anomaly to her. This made it hard for her to understand and her brain shut-down and refused to believe she could do it. Her mind went into summer-salts when she just thought of why and how it existed. To cope, she'd just put it into a little box. Other people could do magic, but not her.

She didn't know why her mind said she couldn't do magic; why others who where just as good or bad as her could or couldn't, it was just a rule her head had made to handle everything. Just like she'd taken the fact that she had no magic and clung to it. It was a fact, and therefore it was safe to believe in.

It seemed she'd have to give up this fact and take up a new one. And who knew, maybe Illium would be able to explain it to her so she understood it. It might fill the gaps in her knowledge and free magic from its little box.

Either way, she had to say sorry. That was a fact.

---

It was still raining out. As she stood under one of the many Gazeboes that were scattered across the estate, Laureli was trying to figure out how she was going to finish the plans for the next growing season if the rain kept up. What if it rained for the next three months? All her plants would get drowned! But what if she planned for lots of water plants and it didn't rain until the next growing season? They'd likely die; or at least cost them a fortune in irrigation. Replacing them might be cheaper and that was still highly expensive. And those pencil-pushers in the office were always badgering her about money…

She sighed. She'd have to plan as well as she could.

Laureli hastily gathered her sweater and rushed to get to another shelter from the rain without splashing mud onto her.

This was hopeless however.

She looked down when she got to a covered area and saw that most of the bottom of her blue jeans was splattered with mud. She sat down in a wicker chair.

The Jupiter/Ganymede estate had tones of outdoor rooms with coverings to protect from rain. Laureli just loved them. They were functional, quant, comfortable, and they made great focal points for outdoor designs. When she'd taken her job, she'd made sure she would be in charge of decorating them, they were so much fun!

The one she was in right now was one of the largest and had a red covering and six wicker chairs and two iron tables with mosaic-tiled tops. There were carpets to cover the bricked ground and pillows every where to match the table-tops. There was a shout of thunder and Laureli could see people running toward the area through the mist just before the rain started to _really_ come down. Fortunately, the sides of the covering were long, and there was very little wind; no water was blown into the covered area.

The people shook water off of themselves and their clothes as they huffed from their jaunt to the patio.

"Huh?" Laureli asked when she missed what one of them had said to her.

"I said 'Do you mind if we stay here?'. She's not in any Danger, is she Illium?" the girl asked politely. She had white-ish hair, light skin, blue eyes and was fairly short.

"Not likely. It should be fine." Answered the only boy, fairly tall and also with white hair but with copper skin.

"I don't mind at all, if you don't mind _me_ staying." Laureli answered with a smile for them.

"Are you sure you're okay, Illium? You were pretty sick earlier."

"It was just a fever. I have only the sneezing now. Also, this is important." The boy said.

"Hi, I'm Minai." said one of the other girls with blond hair and held out her hand to shake.

"I'm Laureli." She said, taking it. They went around and introduced themselves as Illium, Selece, Terasu, and Hiaka. Minai, Illium and Hiaka chose seats on the ground with cushions while the two others took up whicker chairs.

"Let's get started then." Illium said.

---

"Let's get started then." Illium said. He'd almost decided not to come, but he wasn't feeling nearly as bad now, and though he could use the rest, this was more important. What if something like what happened to Hiaka happened to the others?

He was fairly sure the person sharing the covering with them would be fine, but he was ready to throw a shield up; just in case.

Speaking of the new person, Laureli was her name; he had one fear laid to rest at least.

They'd found Sailor Jupiter. The flash of Green aura proved it.

It was a load off of his mind. It seemed these past days weren't a total failure after all. Selece had apologized and promised that she was going to try, even though she couldn't say anything about how she'd do, and they'd found Sailor Jupiter on the first of the planets moons. Now he could relax a little when they visited the others.

Getting the new Sailor Jupiter acquainted with the idea of magic was definitely not a bad idea, either. He didn't want another fight like the one with Selece.

"Selece, I will be with you last, as the time before, we started with you first. And we should give Minai and Terasu a chance to try." Selece nodded. He turned back to Minai.

He'd thought about how he was going to teach them. As he'd examined how he'd done with Selece, he'd decided he couldn't teach the others the same way he did with Hiaka. For one thing, Hiaka knew how her power would manifest, because it already had. The others had no idea what their power would be and so they would have an extremely difficult time. After considering, he decided the best thing he could do, would be to show them their powers.

The thing that had stumped him was how he would do it.

Fortunately, he had an idea.

"Minai, I am going to show you your power how _I_ see it. I have come to the conclusion that this is the best possible way to teach you all. Unfortunately, because your powers haven't manifested yet, it will be virtually impossible for you to consciously link with me so I can show you through my eyes. I'll have to do it myself. It will not be painful, but it may be surprising."

---

Minai was trying her best to understand, but the implications just weren't sticking.

"Okay, so," she started, "you're going to show me what my power looks like…through you're eyes? What do you mean?"

He sighed and his face went blank as he said, "I am going to forcefully take over your mind so that you see the image in your head." Those listening nearly choked. Laureli looked confused.

"Oh…that doesn't sound too good." Minai commented.

"Yes, that is what is so _unfortunate_ about this." He said slightly sarcastically.

"Sorry." She said and he sighed again.

"I am also sorry. I am being pert with you, imposing my own moods upon you who do not deserve it."

"Maybe you should go back to bed, Illium…" Terasu inquired, concerned.

"We will see how I am feeling after we have finished this demonstration." He turned back to Minai. "You should lay flat on the floor for this, I do not want to chance you falling down; I am not sure how you will react."

She nodded a little nervously and did as he asked. Even though she was expecting it, she was still shocked when she felt her mind go numb as control of it was wrenched from her almost violently. She felt as if she'd lost consciousness for a moment until opened her eyes and saw—

—Herself.

She realized, as her train of thought seamed to return, that she was looking at herself through Illium's eyes. It looked just as she always looked when she saw herself in the mirror except that emanating from her person were wafts of orange-gold light that flowed in curls, zigzags and swirling designs that constantly moved and shifted as she watched. As she concentrated, sometimes she could make out a shape before it twisted into another. She was almost unnerved as she recognized her Tambourine and the Planet Venus. Others she couldn't comprehend the meaning of: many other women wearing variations of her scout uniform but all in Venus's colors, a white cat with green eyes, a mass of rotating rings that for some reason made her think of thoughts or emotions, …She didn't know what these symbols meant but she tried to remember those that she could see.

Abruptly, she was looking back through her own eyes.

"Whoa…that was weird." She said from her place on the floor.

"Did you recognize your essence?" he asked.

"Uhh…my essence? You mean those swirling colors and stuff? They were hard to miss." She answered.

Laureli looked very confused. Terasu was gazing avidly, probably at her trying to see swirling colors, along with Selece.

"Swirling colors? She has swirling colors around her? Do we?" Hiaka stipulated.

"Yes." He answered. "All of you have some form of what Minai has witnessed upon herself." He shifted his glance Laureli for a moment, including her in his 'all of you'.

They all turned to look at her, contemplating what this could mean.

"Uhh…" she said mindlessly, not exactly knowing what to do. She didn't know any of these people or even really what they were doing. Something about magic, but there were plenty of people who practiced magic in groups and this guy seemed to know what he was doing so she didn't think this was some sort of unauthorized experimentation. She did want to know what this was supposed to be saying.

"Minai, could you try to tap this energy that I have showed you?" Illium asked, jarring everyone to what they were supposed to be doing.

"Okay."

---

Illium walked back to his room after a dinner spent with his usual meal-mates.

The lessons were going even better than he could have hoped, now that he'd figured out a way to show the scouts their powers. After a couple of minutes of Minai squishing her eyes closed and concentrating, she'd managed to tap her power and he'd identified it as Empathy: the ability to sense and manipulate emotions. Now he was encouraging her to walk around and use her power to identify what people were feeling, but not to try messing with them.

As soon as Minai had heard what her power was, her eyes had widened and she'd explained that she'd always felt a certain way when another person was angry or sad or shy, even bored. This also explained how she'd been feeling awful earlier when Selece and he had had their disagreement.

She'd also said that if she really focused she could see a little bit of color on the edges of the scouts, colors like the one Illium had showed her on herself.

He hadn't thought she'd be so sensitive to others auras but now that he thought about it, that seemed perfectly logical considering that Empathy was the closest thing to aura sensing one could get.

And if he hadn't believed her in the first place, and known that she wasn't lying because that would have shown on her aura, he'd have been pretty convinced when she named off the same colors he'd seen himself, even on Laureli, where she couldn't have guessed from seeing a scout uniform.

On the whole, he was pretty proud, really. Of course that didn't stop him from asking Terasu and Selece if they didn't mind him leaving their lessons till the next day, as he was still sick.

They hadn't minded, of course.

So now he was going back to his room again, in the rain again, sick again. Luckily this time he didn't have a fever…yet.

He walked under the overhang of the roof over the entrance to the building his room was in. Water was pouring off of the roof in an uninterrupted sheet not unlike a waterfall; this ensured that if he wasn't already soaking wet, he was now.

He needed to invest in umbrella. He was getting paid now, he had money. As Illium thought about whether it would be worth buying an umbrella when they were going to leave this planet in a week or so anyways, he caught the sound of familiar voices coming from the door he'd just passed.

It was Seraph and, the up-till now _absent_, Emmett.For once his morals failed him; He couldn't help it, he had to listen.

"_I know something is coming Seraph and the fallout will be one of two things: we live, or we die. I don't know how, why, or when. I just wish we could do more to help them but it isn't within our power to do more than we already are."_ Emmett's voice said sadly. He sounded tired.

_"I know. Mashiro also feels guilty that she stays in an office while Terasu is out risking her life with the other Sailors. And while I was the best at magic and fighting among the advisors, I still wasn't anything special. All those better than me take that skill as a carrier. I don't have any talent that can help them; I'm just a worthless politician. And those idiots on the council don't understand anything, most think this is just something that will go away with time, the rest are losing all their wits for worrying and do nothing productive."_ Seraph's voice answered, nearly the same as usual but dipped in a gallon of worry.

_"I'm sure you and Mashiro will think of something to get them going."_ Emmett said slightly more cheerful at the change in subject.

"What are you doing Illium?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin. He whipped around to see all four of the scouts right behind him. He held a finger up to signal them to be quiet them and pointed to the door.

They all put their ears to the door to continue listening along with him.

_"Maybe"_ Seraph said in answer to Emmett's last sentence.

Minai gasped. "That's Seraph!" she said in a whispered exclamation. Everyone shushed her.

_"Emmett, do you think I'm a stiff?"_

"Yeah," Hiaka inserted before Selece slapped a hand over her mouth.

_"…is this a trick question?"_ he after a moment asked.

_"I'm serious, Emmett"_

_"Why? You haven't all of a sudden decided you care what those Morons on the council think, have you?"_

_"No. It's just that I think scouts don't see me as… 'On-Their-Side' if you understand me. I don't expect us to be life-long friends, but I would like to go up to one of them without them flinching. And if what you say is right, their going to need as many friends as they can get…I don't know, maybe I'm just being stupid."_

_"Your _never_ stupid. I'm sure things will work out." _He said then there was a pause, _"Seraph can I ask you something?"_

_"Sure."_

_"Maybe you just need to get out of this politician atmosphere, maybe tomorrow we should do something, like go out to lunch, or see a movie."_

"Venus! That is so adorable!" Minai squealed. The others tackled her.

_"…you mean like on a date?"_

_"…yes."_

There was a pause. _"If you don't want to—"_ Emmett's voice said hastily sounding disappointed and anxious.

_"No one's ever asked me on a date before."_ She said sounding almost confused. _"Why would you want to go on a date with _me_?"_

_"Who _wouldn't_ want to go on a date with you? Besides, it doesn't matter, because _I_ do."_

There was another pause then Seraph answered, _"Yes, I would very much like to go on a date with you tomorrow."_

"I knew it!" Terasu said excitedly.

Unfortunately, she also said it very loudly. The door opened and Illium fell in with all the scouts piling in on top of him. Selece, who'd, ended up being on top, laughed nervously as Emmett and Seraph looked at them all dumb-founded.

---

"For some reason this seems so typical." Emmett said blandly. "Lieutenant, are you in there somewhere?"

"Yes, Sir." Illium said sounding strangled from underneath the four girls. Emmett suspected the guy in him was saying something like: "Score! A whole bunch of hot chicks are on top of me!" However, it was also true that the inner gentleman part in him was probably screaming something like: "Shit! Shit! Shit! I am so _dead_!".

Illium had usually an overwhelming inner gentleman, Emmett had noticed. Illium was probably dying from shame under there.

"Get off of him, girls." They all stood up one by one knowing they were most likely in big trouble. Illium finally got up and his face as red as a tomato as he saluted his superior officer. "At ease." Illium put his hand down but he was still the same shade of scarlet.

"Why were you listening at my door?" Emmett asked them. Seraph, for one reason or another, (he suspected she was embarrassed), wasn't speaking. He knew they'd heard what had been said. What else would Terasu have been commenting on?

No one said anything. Illium's left eye twitched, Minai smiled nervously, Selece was white as a sheet, Hiaka was suddenly very interested in the tile work on the floor, while Terasu just looked ashamed.

Emmett sighed. "I suppose it doesn't matter. Don't you people have somewhere to be?"

Amusingly, they all shook their heads. Ha.

"No mindless video games? Flower arranging? Internet surfing? Boy-watching?…or girl-watching, as the case may be."

They shook their heads. Okay, before it was funny but now it was just annoying.

"Well, I suggest you find something to do. If one of you breathes a wrong word about what you've heard…well, let's just say it will be _very_ unpleasant." He said.

He suspected the dark circles under his from that reaction headache he'd had probably mad him look pretty menacing. They all practically ran away.

Not that he blamed them.

He turned back to Seraph. "See you tomorrow, my dear?"

She gave him a shy smile, "Yeah." And surprisingly, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading off to her own room.


End file.
